The Centre has given the go ahead signal to Arunachal Pradesh to conduct the International Tourism Mart (ITM), a mega tourism event at Tawang, bordering China, on October next. 

Union tourism ministry secretary Parvez Dewan informed this to state tourism minister Pema Khandu during a meeting at New Delhi on Friday, official sources said here on Saturday. 

The meeting, which was attended by tourism secretary and director of all NE states besides West Bengal, decided that the ministry would conduct the prestigious ITM at Tawang in October next. 

Khandu expressed that successful conduct of the mega event would depend principally on resumption of helicopter service from Guwahati to Tawang and assured to take up the matter with the state government. 

Dewan assured to ensure release of fund and requested all participating states to go ahead with its preparation, sources said. 

"With the tourism industry likely to increase to US$ 275.5 billion by 2018 at a 9.4 per cent annual growth rate in India, it is high time for the union tourism ministry to shift the focus to the North Eastern states, particularly Arunachal Pradesh, which is endowed with huge potential for all kinds of tourism including the popularly growing niche tourism," Khandu said. 

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