A group of delegates — from the US, Italy, South Korea, Russia, France — are listening attentively to the story of Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, who held off advancing Chinese forces for 72 hours during the Indo-China war of 1962.

The popular Indo-China war memorial in Tawang is one of the pit stops for delegates from 22 countries attending the International Tourism Mart (ITM) in Tawang organised by the Central government in collaboration with the Arunachal Pradesh government.

The Ministry of Tourism, in association with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeastern states, kicked off the 14th edition of the International Tourism Mart (ITM) on Thursday.

The three-day event brings together domestic and international tourism stakeholders to showcase the region’s diverse tourism potential and strengthen business partnerships.

At the inaugural programme, Union Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat spoke about the government’s focus on the northeastern region and creating global…