India International Travel Mart got of to a resounding start in Bangalore yesterday. This year the mart has participation from major hotels and resorts, national & international tourist offices, online travel portals and even private tour operators.

Being organized in association with Karnataka tourism, this mart is being seen as a big platform to showcase specific destinations in different states as more than 300 participants from 30 different countries have come together at the Bangalore’s Premier B2B & B2C Travel & Tourism Expo. The three day travel exhibition ends on Sunday, July 29.

Inaugurating the travel mart, state tourism minister, Anand Singh said the state has a huge potential for eco-tourism and efforts will be put to strengthen the same in Karnataka.

"Given the depreciation in the Indian currency value, this mart is certain to provide the right kind of impetus to the Indian domestic tourism industry. The participants from some of the states are expected to market their products aggressively during this fair," said Rohit Hangal, director, Sphere Travelmedia, the organiser of the Expo.