Two international trade fairs organized simultaneously

The National Tourist Office of Madagascar (ONTM) and the National Center for Malagasy Crafts (CENAM), work in close collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Crafts to promote the tourism and crafts sectors. craftsmanship.

“ These two sectors have the same mission. For illustration, they are both providers of foreign exchange and generators of jobs. Their common goal is to attract tourists. This is why we are going to organize two international trade fairs simultaneously with the support of the government via the Integrated Growth Pole project, with the aim of promoting the Madagascar destination while promoting Malagasy artisanal products. “. The Minister in charge of Tourism and Crafts Joël Randriamandranto, mentioned this during the official launch of the 10^e edition of the International Tourism Fair Madagascar (ITM) yesterday at CENAM in Andavamamba yesterday. This large-scale event will be held from June 20 to 23, 2024 at the CCI Ivato. On this occasion, he also announced that the 1^era edition of the International Handicraft Fair Madagascar (IHM), will also be organized as part of this ITM fair, in partnership with CENAM and the Federation of Chambers of Trades and Crafts of Madagascar (FCMAM). These two major events are placed under the theme of “the art of travel”.

400 stands to be erected

It should be noted that 400 stands will be set up as part of these major events of the year. Among which, 290 stands will be reserved for the tourism sector while the other 110 stands are dedicated to crafts. Furthermore, ” Around a hundred participants in “Eductours” and international press trips are expected to discover the potential of the Big Island in terms of tourism. There will also be more than ten high-level conferences which require the intervention of national and international experts, in addition to various activities such as the Tombola. The ITM show will at the same time be divided into 12 exhibition spaces. We can cite, among others, the Sponsors’ Alley, the Vanilla Islands, the professionals’ village, the regions’ village showing their respective specificities as well as the international village dedicated to Embassies. A guest country of honor will also exhibit there as usual », explained Jimmy Joharison, the executive director of the ONTM. Speaking about the HMI show in its 1^era edition, the organizers are planning 11 exhibition spaces. “ All craft professions will be presented there. By way of illustration, the agri-food industry, cosmetics and well-being, innovation, recycling, textiles and clothing, silk, various animals, jewelry and stones, plant fiber, wood and derivatives as well than the top of the range, will each have their own space reserved for them “, he continued.

Trade shows

Furthermore, the responsible minister Joël Randriamandranto would like to emphasize that the two international trade fairs, namely the ITM and the IHM, are both trade fairs dedicated to the general public and professional trade fairs. Indeed, “ outgoing Tour Operators invited to Madagascar as part of the eductours, will meet directly with national incoming Tour Operators, during the first two days of the events. At the same time, exhibiting operators can carry out exchanges with each other. Among other things, they can identify new hotel and restaurant establishments in different regions. This will make it possible to conclude contracts between local professionals. It is the same in the craft sector. We will also invite international buyers who are interested in Malagasy artisanal products. It should be noted that these are real talented artisans and not distributors or exporters, who will be exhibiting at the IHM show. They are asked to register on the online platform that we have just set up. At the same time, selection criteria will be imposed on participants in terms of quality, quantity and sustainability of their arts. However, the first to register will be the first served. “, he said. During this 1^era edition of the IHM show, visitors will have the opportunity to discover new products and innovations in this field. Overall, these two large-scale events are part of the implementation of the priority areas of the Ministry of Tourism and Crafts. These include the promotion of the Madagascar destination, the development of human capital and opportunities through the promotion of artisanal products. “ The organization of the ITM in its 10^e edition and the IHM thus contribute to achieving the objective set in 2028, which is the arrival of one million tourists on the Big Island “, he continued. The organizers expect a total of more than 15,000 visitors.

Navalona R.