HIGHLIGHTS OF DESTINATION EAST 2010

• The major objective of this initiative was to focus on the Eastern Indian states as world – class tourism destinations.
• The Conference cum business meetings gave an opportunity to Eastern India to interact with foreign buyers, registered Indian sellers, investors, travel writers and journalists and make serious business,
• It was an exploration of new territories, religious, rural, health, eco, riverine tourism circuits for the tourism stakeholders from South East Asia.
• DESTINATION EAST unveiled a hitherto unchartered territory for travel buffs from Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore

ORGANISERS:
• Confederation of Indian Industry, Eastern Region
• Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal.

PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES:
• Singapore
• Malaysia
• Thailand.

PARTICIPATING STATES:
• Andaman & Nicobar Islands
• Jharkhand
• Orissa
• Mizoram
• Nagaland
• Sikkim
• West Bengal

Number of Buyers: 50
Number of Sellers: 53

There was a Roundtable of Sellers on Marketing East on the opening day of DESTINATION EAST where the tourism stakeholders of the region brainstormed about the products that need to be marketed, issues of resources for marketing, recognition and branding of unique products and the need for road shows in various countries as well as other parts of India. There was also a Roundtable of the participating Tourism Departments of Eastern and North Eastern Region of India on identifying the current status of tourism and the way forward.

Familiarization Trips were organised for the buyers in:
• Sikkim
• Darjeeling
• Santiniketan
• Assam
• Orissa
• Kolkata

With over 100 tourism stakeholders interacting over a period of one and a half days, DESTINATION EAST is already generating serious business in this part of the country.