The meetings reflected strong interest in Israel and the diversity of experiences the destination offers Indian travellers, spanning leisure and luxury travel, culture, gastronomy, wellness, business travel and MICE. IMOT was also recognised with the Excellence in International Destination Promotion Award, acknowledging its efforts to promote Israel as a tourism destination in the Indian market.
Beyond the business meetings at the pavilion, IMOT held a series of strategic discussions aimed at deepening its engagement with India’s travel industry. These included meetings with Mr. Sunil Kumar R., President of TAAI, and Vineet Gopal, Executive Committee Member & Head Chapters, OTOAI. IMOT is moving towards signing MOUs with both associations, aimed at establishing long-term cooperation to promote Israel in the Indian market, expand B2B engagement, and jointly develop destination marketing, training and awareness initiatives.
The Israel pavilion was also visited by Shri Suneel Anchipaka, IAS, Managing Director & CEO of Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), who expressed his support for strengthening ties and exploring greater cooperation between Delhi Tourism and IMOT. In addition, a productive meeting was held with Mr. Kedar A Naik, Director, Department of Tourism, Government of Goa, focusing on opportunities to strengthen cooperation between the two tourism bodies and explore potential joint initiatives.
This year also marked the first participation of Tabar Tours, an Israeli DMC, at BLTM alongside IMOT. Its presence gave Indian travel professionals an opportunity to engage directly with an Israeli industry partner and explore itineraries, products and experiences tailored to different segments of the Indian market.
Galit Hoffman, Consul- Tourism Affairs for India, Israel Ministry of Tourism, said: “BLTM was an excellent opportunity to experience first-hand the strong interest Israel continues to generate within the Indian travel industry. The quality of the meetings and conversations was exceptional, and we leave the show with new connections, concrete opportunities for collaboration and great momentum. India remains one of Israel’s most important and high-potential tourism markets, and I am especially encouraged to see our conversations with industry partners translating into meaningful initiatives. We have an exciting programme ahead and look forward to building on this momentum and bringing Israel even closer to the Indian travel trade and Indian travellers.”
IMOT’s participation at BLTM forms part of a broader programme to deepen its engagement with the Indian travel industry. In October, the Ministry will host a three-city Roadshow in New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai, featuring B2B meetings and creating further opportunities for direct engagement between Israeli tourism stakeholders and Indian travel agents, tour operators and buyers. Over the coming year, IMOT also plans to extend its trade engagement to additional cities across India through focused B2B sessions and industry roundtables, including Hyderabad, Goa and Kochi.
A pan-India webinar is also planned for December, aimed at expanding destination knowledge, showcasing new tourism products and experiences, and equipping Indian travel partners with additional tools to promote Israel. Through these initiatives, alongside trade shows, partnerships with industry associations and tourism bodies, destination training, marketing and media outreach, IMOT will continue to expand its network of partners and buyers familiar with and actively promoting Israel, while creating new opportunities across the leisure, luxury and MICE segments