Thiruvananthapuram: More than 1,000 tour operators from the country and abroad will converge at the second edition of South India’s prestigious travel and trade expo, Global Travel Market (GTM 2026), to be held in the state capital from June 03-05.
GTM 2026 will provide a platform for exhibitors and buyers to build business partnerships with key global players in the travel and tourism industry, while also helping them scale up their enterprises, said Biju K, IAS, Secretary, Kerala Tourism, at a press conference here today.
The B2B travel and trade exhibition is 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.
“GTM 2026 will showcase different tourism circuits by combining the major tourism centres of South Kerala,” Biju said. Noting that Kerala has seen a substantial rise in domestic and international tourist arrivals in the past two years, events like GTM will help ramp up the tourism sector, besides maintaining sustainable growth.
He added that at the expo, more than 200 stalls will showcase innovative tourism products, and prominent experts from the travel and tourism industry will lead sessions on various topics during the three-day event. Corporate networking sessions with participation by company representatives will also be held. B2B sessions will be held on June 4 and 5.
Over 1,000 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.
Anjana M, IAS, Director, Kerala Tourism; SN Reghuchandran Nair, President, TCCI; Narayanan MR, President, SKHF; Sisupalan Sagara, VP, SKHF; Prasad Manjali, Secretary, SKHF; and Siji Nair, CEO, GTM, were also present at the press meet.