The eighth edition of the Bengal Travel Mart (BTM) — one of the biggest events of travel and tourism stakeholders of Northeast India — will be held in Siliguri between December 17 and 19.

The three-day mart will be organised by the Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators' Association (EHTTOA) at a hotel in Matigara on the outskirts of Siliguri.

“We have been organising the BTM since 2016. Now, it is considered to be the flagship event of our association. Over the years, we have showcased north Bengal, the rest of our state and the entire northeastern part of India before people associated with tourism across the country and some neighbouring countries. The idea is to augment tourist footfall by promoting destinations,” said Debasish Chakraborty, the EHTTOA general secretary.

As of now, the association has more than 350 members from Bengal, Sikkim and other northeastern states, Nepal and Bangladesh.

The organisers said that the event would be hosted in association with the Union tourism ministry, the Bengal tourism department, the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents and the Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India.

“The tourism boards of Tripura, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha will also participate at the BTM. There will be around 150 domestic and international exhibitors and major hotel chains of the country who will exhibit various destinations and accommodations,” said Chakraborty.

EHTTOA sources said there would be B2B (business-to-business) meetings between tourism stakeholders and technical sessions on rural tourism, adventure and tea tourism.

“For the first time, we will have corporate canopy tents with digital backdrops at the BTM. We have also signed memorandums with some leading travel and trade associations of neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh to promote cross-border tourism and memberships,” said an EHTTOA representative.

Chakraborty also said that at the BTM they would also felicitate and award some people associated with tourism for their contributions.

“We believe that this event will be instrumental in promoting the destinations of our region,” Chakraborty added.