On Travel Assignment | 2018 Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart



Another thing I dig about being a travel writer is the opportunity of being invited to various conferences about the travel industry. In the last couple of years, I have covered some of the biggest travel-related symposiums and talks such as the 2017 World Travel and Tourism Global Council, the 2017 ASEAN-INDIA Summit, both of which were held in Bangkok, Thailand and this year’s Mekong Tourism Forum held in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand.


Still reeling from the new set of knowledge I learned from the last conference I attended, good karma went my way again when I got selected to cover this year’s Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart.

2018 marks the 5th edition of the Madhya Travel Mart and will be held in the city of Bhopal from October 5 to 7.  According to organizers “over 200 national and international buyers and about 100 representatives of distinct Indian markets are expected to participate in it”.

Marble Rocks at Bhedaghat, Madhya Pradesh
I have been to the fascinating country of India twice – the first time when I went on a personal month-long journey and the second time, as a chosen participant of the Kerala Blog Express – a two week journey across the state of Kerala with 29 other travel bloggers from all over the world.

This shall mark my third time to visit India and what better way than become a part of an event that will further promote tourism to this country, especially in the province of Madhya Pradesh, a place I’ve always wanted to explore.

Omkareshwar Temple
The organizers further added “the Primary objective of this mart is to market and promote Madhya Pradesh as a destination throughout the year. The concept is a B2B platform which will bring tourism stakeholders on a platform where they would interact to explore opportunities of mutual trade. The event is being supported by eminent institutions of tourism and hospitality industry including IATO, ATOAI, ADTOI, TAAI, ITTA, PATA, ICPB, TOFT, IHHA and TAFI

Orchha, Madhya Pradesh
Expected to exceed last year’s edition, the organizers are expecting more participants to come from many countries such as: Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom, United States of America, Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Thailand, Poland, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Finland, South Africa, Mexico, Fiji, Italy, Russia, Norway, Argentina, Belgium, Ukraine and France.

This year’s focus will be to highlight Madhya Pradesh as a year round travel destination. 

Post-Event FamTours

As a member of the media, I will also join the post-event familiarity tours and I have chosen the one that includes Gwalior Fort. Perched atop a hill, this 10th century fortress is one of the most spectacular in all of India. I am feeling high with excitement about seeing it up close and learning more about its history.

Gwalior Fort
Just being in India again is making me double up with anticipation. Aside from looking forward to a successful 2018 Madhya Travel Mart, and meeting many personalities from the travel industry, I also can’t wait to feast on Indian food once again.

See you all at the 2018 Madhya Travel Mart.

About Travel mart

Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board (MPTB) is organizing the fifth edition of Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart at Hotel Lake View Ashok, in Bhopal, from 5th – 7th October 2018 The Mart is designed for exclusive focus on domestic and inbound tourism into Madhya Pradesh and to reassure the position of the State as a preferred tourist destination to the world.

The show promises to provide an opportunity to tap into this ever growing market by bringing a forum of exceptional one-to-one business meetings. The two day B2B & B2B exhibition will be attended by representatives from heritage hotels, conference venues, tour operators and wildlife parks as well as by international buyers from Europe, South east Asia, Middle East, US, Australia, South Africa and Canada.

The goal is to ensure each participant, whether it’s the exhibitor, buyer or visitor, gets value for their investment and time spent. There will be post event FAM Tours for the buyers & media to places of interest such as Mandu, Sanchi, Kanha and Pench which will be organized by Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board.