(TibetanReview.net, Oct04’26) – The government of India is to hold a mega international tourism event in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, towards the end of this month, with China being among the invitees. China claims Arunachal Pradesh, especially the Tawang region, as part of its territory on the basis of its claim over Tibet, which has been under its occupation rule for more than seven decades.
The International Tourism Mart, being organised by the Ministry of Tourism from Oct 27 to Nov 1, will bring together delegates from around 20 countries, reported the indianexpress.com Oct 2.
Delegates from China have also been invited to the annual event which is held, by rotation, in one of the eight North-Eastern states of India. The 2025 edition of the event was held in Sikkim, and was attended by government representatives and industry stakeholders from over19 countries.
While the decision to hold the event in Tawang is routine, it is also significant, given the fact that the area is a primary bone of contention in the boundary dispute between India and China, the report noted.
Besides, the decision comes weeks after the government of India identified 27 places/features in Arunachal Pradesh by standard place and feature names on the official maps of Survey of India for “their accurate recognition and better awareness among the public at large”. This was in response to similar exercises carried out six times by China since 2017, with the last one in April this year, as a way to assert its claim over the Arunachal territory, which it calls “Zangnan” (southern Tibet). On each occasion, New Delhi strongly rejects China’s claim, reiterating that Arunachal Pradesh is an “inalienable and integral part of India”.
The report noted that while government representatives from China have not attended the tourism event traditionally, there have been instances of private tour operators in the country participating at the event since it offers a lot of scope for B2B tie-ups.
At the 2018 edition in Agartala, over 60 tour operator delegates from different countries participated, including those from Bangladesh, Australia, Canada, China and France.
The report cited sources as saying invitations for the Tawang event had been sent to all participating countries and industry delegations. But the participation confirmation will be known only closer to the event date.
While the main focus is on building travel and tourism ties between the region and its neighbours, particularly the ASEAN and SAARC countries, representatives and stakeholders from other parts of the world also attend the event. Delegates from Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Thailand and Israel were among those at the 2025 edition in Sikkim, the report said.
For the edition in Tawang, the Ministry of Tourism is collaborating with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh. Union Ministers and state ministers will be attending the event over five days. Delegates will also be taken on a visit to Tawang Monastery, Buddha Park, Panga Teng Tso lake and Shernup village, the report added.