Shillong, March 27: The Scotland of the East is all set for the eighth edition of the Shillong International Trade Fair starting here tomorrow.

A 15-member delegation from Thailand, comprising travel writers and tour operators, will be arriving here on the occasion. An exclusive Thai pavilion has been created for the stalls under the department of export promotion, Royal Thai government.

The fair is organised by several organisations, including government, semi-government and other organisations affiliated to or recognised by the state government.

The 10-day fair will be held at the Fire Brigade ground in Laitumkhrah to boost tourism in the state. The fair will help facilitate many international firms to display their products, ranging from food products to household goods.It will also have participants from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Indonesia and Egypt. The trade fair is expected to open up new avenues for local entrepreneurs and boost Meghalaya’s tourism potential, especially among those visiting from abroad.

The Guwahati-Bangkok flight will facilitate the flow of tourists from Thailand and other parts of the region. A replica of the Taj Mahal is also expected to draw in visitors. More than 120 stalls have been set up at the fair. “This is on a par with some of the fairs I visited in Delhi and Mumbai,” said Khrawkupar B. Sohtun, an event manager from Shillong.