The 88th Travel and Tourism Fair kicked off at Netaji Indoor stadium today, offering the travel bug-bitten Bengali to explore the world. With the Durga Puja vacations just over two months away, exotic destinations near and far - Bhutan next door; Turkey on the Asia-Europe border; Kenya in Africa - are on offer.

Travel lovers flocked at the three-day TTF on Friday to check out packages to holiday hot-spots offered at the 250-plus stalls. Apart from 25 states in India, travel companies from 11 countries are participating in the fair. Cambodia, Nepal, Dubai, Thailand and China are the feature countries at this year's fair.

Also, there's excitement over the world opening up at Kolkata's doorstep with Cathay Pacific, Royal Jordanian and British Airways among a host of international carriers expected to make a comeback next year after the revamped airport becomes functional.