Minister John inaugurates B2B meet of GTM 2026

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 3 (PTI) Kerala Minister for Transport C P John on Wednesday inaugurated the B2B meet of the second edition of South India’s prestigious travel and trade event Global Travel Market (GTM 2026) at Kovalam near here.

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.

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.

Billa suggested that the state needs to move away from traditional promotional activities and focus more on competitiveness and creating destinations on a global scale.

He added that events like GTM democratise the tourism sector by providing ample opportunities to smaller players in the sector.

The event will also unveil an upfront project to introduce Ayurveda to global tour operators, with Kerala’s strategic advantages to emerge as a global hub of wellness tourism.

The GTM expo will witness the 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 the Golden Palace Convention Centre at Amaravila near Neyyattinkara on June 4 at 10 am, an official release said.

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, it said.

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 release added. PTI TGB ROH