Siddaramaiah inaugurates Karnataka Tourism’s KITE 2025

Over 400 hosted buyers from India & overseas meet with 150 local stakeholders

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the second edition of the Karnataka International Travel Expo, KITE 2025, in Bengaluru on Wednesday. With over 400 hosted buyers from across India and countries overseas, KITE 2025 aims to promote Karnataka as a global travel destination. During the inauguration, Siddaramaiah also unveiled the Karnataka Tourism Policy 2025-2029, that focusses on fostering partnerships and highlighting the state's rich heritage, culture and nature.

In the presence of over 400 hosted buyers from across the world and more than 150 tourism stakeholders from the state, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah opened the second edition of the Karnataka International Travel Expo, KITE 2025, a three-day B2B tourism trade meet, in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

“Today as we open this prestigious event, we reaffirm our commitment in making Karnataka the most sought after tourism destination. In the last three years the government has allocated over INR 4.4 billion towards infrastructure, and Human Resource Development in the state’s tourism sector. We have recently launched the Karnataka Tourism Policy 2025-2029,” Siddaramaiah said in his inaugural address.

“As you look to the future, I call upon all investors, tour operators, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals to join hands with us to make Karnataka a top tourism destination in the world,” he added.

Karnataka Tourism Minister H K Patil said that the government was focussed on improving accessibility to boost tourism.  “Building a more accessible Karnataka, for any destination to thrive, seamless connectivity is key. Karnataka is leading the way for both well-known and hidden tourism gems. Our government, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has been working tirelessly to ensure that essential amenities are available across the state. The Shakti Scheme has been a resounding success, providing high-quality amenities and facilities. We look forward to supporting, facilitating, and strengthening the tourism ecosystem. Let us make Karnataka a global benchmark for responsible, enriching, and inclusive tourism,” said Patil.

In her address, Salma K Fahim, Secretary, Karnataka Tourism, highlighted that Karnataka is among the top four states for domestic tourist arrivals with over 300 million visitors in 2024, and that it expects to achieve about 480 million domestic visits by 2029.

“Even with foreign tourist arrivals, we are at about 485,000 foreign tourist arrivals in 2024, and we aim ambitiously to grow to 2 million foreign tourist visits by 2029. Karnataka is a land of varied heritage sites. We have four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We also have three sites on the tentative list,” said Fahim.

“We have a 320 km coastline with 90 beaches, including blue-flag certified beaches, Padukitri, Kasargod, and other coastal destinations like Mangalore, Gokarna, Udupi, Mantre, Bhudeshwar and Kharghat. Besides this, we have about 40 national parks. We have wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserves. We also boast 600 ASI-protected monuments and more than 840 state-protected monuments. We have 17 picturesque hill stations and 40 waterfalls. Tourism is a major contributor to the state’s economy and generates millions of jobs estimated in 1 in 10 jobs comes from the tourism sector. Thus, Karnataka, as you all can see, is poised to become a leading global travel destination and KITE 2025 is a key milestone in that journey,” she adds.

“A platform that brings the global travel and tourism industry together, Karnataka International Travel Expo 2025 is a flagship event of our tourism sector. It’s a platform for partnerships and a catalyst for a gateway to growth for the Karnataka tourism industry to reach international and domestic markets. This event is about building relationships, creating opportunities, and promoting Karnataka as a world-class travel destination,” Rajendra K V, Director, Department of Tourism and Managing Director, KSTDC, said in his address.

The organisers say that Karnataka International Travel Expo aims to foster new partnerships, promote business opportunities, and highlight Karnataka’s unique offerings, including its heritage, culture, adventure, wellness, and nature-based tourism.

While inaugurating the event, Siddaramaiah also released the Karnataka Tourism Policy 2025-2029 by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

“As you look to the future, I call upon all investors, tour operators, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals to join hands with us to make Karnataka a top tourism destination in the world,” he said.

The organisers say that the event features over 400 hosted buyers from India and abroad, and more than 150 stakeholders from Karnataka, with over 10,000 pre-fixed B2B appointments. The three-day event will also feature dedicated pavillions to highlight Karnataka’s iconic destinations, emerging circuits, and sustainable tourism initiatives.