3 min readGandhinagarAug 8, 2026 10:23 AM IST
First published on: Aug 8, 2026 at 10:23 AM IST
Written by Fiona Faustmann
ORGANISED AGAINST the backdrop of the West Asia crisis, the three-day Travel and Tourism Fair 2026 at the Mahatma Mandir convention and exhibition centre in Gandhinagar saw several country and state representatives going all out to bring back tourists and business.
Israel, which was among those that saw a massive drop in tourist footfall, was in focus as the ‘featured country’ at the fair.
Asked how tourism had been impacted since the West Asia Crisis, Marketing Director of the Israel Ministry of Tourism Amruta Bangera said, “It has been impacted but I think we are growing”, highlighting that “it should not be a problem to reach the 2019 numbers”. She elaborated that in 2019, 65,900 Indians visited Israel, a number that fell to 44,000 in 2023 and to 13,600 in 2025.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who inaugurated the fair on Thursday, said it would play an important role in showcasing Gujarat when the state had declared 2025 as the “Year of Tourism.”
On how they would reach out to Gujaratis, Bangera told The Indian Express, “Gujaratis are the most experiential people, who want to seek new destinations, different experiences”, therefore “Israel becomes a perfect blend. It’s not the first destination that people travel to, but if a person has already done Europe, US and UK they want something new and this is the perfect place where there is something new for everyone.”
On what set Israel apart, she said, “It is the only democracy in the Middle East, and every Indian will feel welcome there”.
“Right now we do not have any direct connectivity with any airline, but the major carriers around the world have already returned to Israel with full operation. Right now you have connecting airlines via Dubai or Gulf carriers. Even with layover, it is around seven hours”, she added.
Mohan Gill, manager at Topview Holiday from China hinting at the rise in Indian visitors to the country said, “Entire movement has shifted”. The fair saw representatives from Vietnam, Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates as well.
Aziz Chauham, CEO of Fly Vaccanze stationed in Thailand, stressed that “as of now, hotel rooms are empty”, furthermore explaining that “Indians used to travel in a budget-friendly way, so after the crisis of the Middle East, there is a huge surcharge on fuel. Air Asia, BH Air, Thailand airlines which were operating from Ahmedabad have now stopped their operations. For this reason, the fares of the flights are very expensive. So they are now switching from international to domestic travel.”
Other state representatives, including Bhanu Pratap Joint Director of the Rajasthan Tourism department, emphasised that “our domestic market is strong enough”. Asked about foreign visitors, he said, “Even before the war, we were not having that many numbers of tourists. Therefore there is hardly any effect from these countries, but we have very strong ties with Japan, Singapore and Malaysia”.
The fair closes on Saturday.
(Fiona Faustmann is an intern at The Indian Express, Ahmedabad)
The fair closes on Saturday. (Express Photo) 
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