Minister C P John inaugurates B2B meet of GTM 2026
The Voice of Chandigarh
Minister for Transport C P John today inaugurated the B2B meet of the second edition of South India’s prestigious travel and trade event Global Travel Market (GTM 2026) at Kovalam.
The three-day GTM 2026 marks the first major tourism and hospitality sector event after the present government assumed office.
GTM 2026 showcases unique tourism circuits of south Kerala along with the state’s time-tested assets before a large gathering of buyers and sellers from India and abroad.
Minister for Tourism and Culture, Andhra Pradesh, Kandula Durgesh, was the Guest of Honour at the function, presided over by M Vincent, MLA, at Uday Samudra Leisure Beach Hotel, Kovalam.
The B2B travel and trade exhibition is jointly organised by South Kerala Hoteliers Forum (SKHF), Thiruvananthapuram Chamber of Commerce and Industries (TCCI), Thavass Ventures, and Metro Mart, in association with Kerala Tourism and India Tourism.
Speaking on the occasion, John said the new government will address the long-pending demand of declaring tourism sector as an industry.
“Tourism plays a crucial role in Kerala’s economy by contributing 10-20 percent to the state’s GDP. Kerala is emerging as prominent destination for leisure tourism in Asia. GTM 2026 will serve as an excellent platform for tour operators to attract tourists to South Kerala,” he noted.
Highlighting the importance of GTM, Kandula Durgesh said such initiatives will help boost the tourism marketing potential of South India. Durgesh added that like Kerala, domestic tourism also plays a major role in his state’s tourism growth.
In his special address, Suman Billa, IAS, Additional Secretary and Director General, India Tourism, Government of India, said Kerala has made exceptional achievements in Responsible Tourism segment. Kerala, however, needs to structure its growth path since its competitors are not the neighbouring states but countries like Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand in South East Asia, he said.
Mr Billa suggested that the state needs to move away from traditional promotional activities and focus more on competitiveness and creating destinations on global scale. He added that events like GTM democratize the tourism sector by providing ample opportunities to smaller players in the sector.
Siji Nair, CEO, GTM, welcomed the gathering. SN Reghuchandran Nair, President, TCCI; Narayanan MR, President, SKHF; Sisupalan Sagara, Vice President, SKHF; Prasad Manjali, Secretary, SKHF; Jose Pradeep, President, KTM Society; EM Najeeb, President, CKTI; Kottukal Krishnakumar, General Secretary, KTDA; and Baby Mathew, Somatheeram Ayurveda Group, were also present.
The event will also unveil an upfront project to introduce Ayurveda to global tour operators, with Kerala’s strategic advantages to emerge as global hub of wellness tourism. The GTM expo will witness convergence of over 1000 domestic and international buyers and 300 corporate buyers.
Being held in multiple venues of the state capital and suburbs, the event serves as a platform for exhibitors and buyers to build business partnerships with key global players in the travel and tourism industry.
As part of the event, the Global Travel Mart Expo 2026 will be opened at Golden Palace Convention Centre at Amaravila near Neyyattinkara on June 4 at 10 am.
At the expo, more than 200 stalls will showcase innovative tourism products, and leading experts from the travel and tourism industry will address sessions on various topics. Corporate networking sessions with participation by company representatives will also be held. B2B sessions will be held on June 4 and 5.
Over 1000 domestic and international buyers and 300 corporate buyers will participate in the expo to generate new sales leads, launch new products, network with key decision-makers, increase brand awareness, and gather market intelligence.
The event will deliver a vibrant environment for B2B and B2C organisations and provide an opportunity for participants to meet, network, negotiate, find the right collaborators, conduct business, and gather new insights.In addition to showcasing a range of tourism products and services, the travel expo will provide an opportunity to connect with key players in the southern region’s travel and tourism industry. The event features over 200 stalls set up by major hoteliers and resorts, tourism boards and organisations, airlines, hotel suppliers, travel agents, tour operators, travel tech innovators, etc.
GTM 2026 also has a dedicated HoReCa Pavilion to showcase products and solutions for hotels, restaurants, cafes and the catering industry. The pavilion will serve as a focused platform for business networking and sourcing. Besides, the Travancore Experience Zone will showcase the adventure, culinary, culture, food, hospitality, literature, social activities and many specialties of Travancore.
The expo has pavilions featuring six themes, including inbound travel operators to Kerala, outbound travel operators (both B2B and B2C), Ayurveda, yoga and wellness operators, resorts, retreats and hospitals, wedding tourism, corporate road show, homestays and serviced villas.
