Gandhinagar: More than 900 exhibitors and tourism departments from across India have gathered at Mahatma Mandir here for the three-day Travel and Trade Fair (TTF), which opened on Thursday as Gujarat seeks to strengthen its tourism sector and expand business opportunities in the travel industry.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated the fair, which will run from August 6 to 8, in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi. Goa Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte and Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj also attended the inaugural ceremony.

Organised in Gujarat for the past two decades, the event is a business-to-business (B2B) travel trade exhibition that brings together tourism departments, destination promoters and industry stakeholders. According to the state government, the platform has contributed to the growth of Gujarat’s tourism ecosystem by facilitating business partnerships and connecting participants from across the travel and hospitality sectors.

The fair carries added significance this year after the Gujarat government declared 2026 as the state’s “Year of Tourism.” Officials said the event is expected to provide an opportunity to showcase Gujarat’s tourist destinations and development prospects to a wider national audience while promoting collaboration between states.

In a statement, officials said the Travel and Trade Fair also reflects the vision of promoting tourism while advancing the concept of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat” by encouraging greater engagement among states.

Following the inauguration, Chief Minister Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Sanghavi and the visiting ministers toured the exhibition, visiting stalls set up by several states, including Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Goa. They interacted with exhibitors and reviewed information on tourism promotion schemes, travel offerings and initiatives being implemented by the participating states.

The exhibition features tourism departments from different parts of the country alongside more than 900 exhibitors representing various segments of the travel and tourism industry. The three-day event is expected to facilitate business networking, destination promotion and discussions on opportunities for tourism development across India.

By hosting the fair during its designated Year of Tourism, Gujarat aims to use the platform both to project its own destinations and to strengthen inter-state linkages within the national tourism sector.