Kerala Tourism Minister Mr. P C Vishnunadh will be the chief guest at GTM Expo and Over 1000 stakeholders to converge at three-day event in state capital
Mr. V D Satheesan Chief Minister of Kerala will inaugurate the second edition of South India’s prestigious travel and trade event Global Travel Market (GTM 2026) on June 3 at the Uday Samudra Leisure Beach Hotel in Kovalam, bringing together more than 1000 tour operators from the country and abroad.
Significantly, GTM 2026 is the first major convergence of tourism sector stakeholders after the present government assumed office.
To be held in multiple venues of the state capital and suburbs, the event is envisaged as a platform for exhibitors and buyers to build business partnerships with key global players in the travel and tourism industry, GTM office bearers told a press conference at Trivandrum.
The inaugural ceremony of the three-day event will be held at Uday Samudra Leisure Beach Hotel, Kovalam, at 6 pm. Mr. M Vincent, MLA, will preside over the function.
Sri Lankan Deputy Minister of Tourism Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe and Minister for Tourism and Culture, Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Kandula Durgesh, will be the Guests of Honour on the occasion.
Mr. Suman Billa, IAS, Additional Secretary and Director General, India Tourism, Government of India, will deliver the special address.
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.
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.
Tourism Minister Mr.PC Vishnunadh, Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe;Mr. K Muraleedharan Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Devaswom, ; and Mr.Ajay Jain, IAS, Special Chief Secretary, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, will be the Chief Guests at the expo opening ceremony.
On the second day, GTM Metro Expedition Award Night will be held at The Leela Kovalam at 6 pm.
The event will have the presence of Union Minister of State for Tourism, Government of India, Mr. Suresh Gopi; Home Minister, Govt. of Kerala, Mr. Ramesh Chennithala; Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister Mr. S Rajesh Kumar; and Mr Kandula Durgesh as Chief Guests. Mr. Shashi Tharoor, MP; Mr. V Muraleedharan, MLA; Corporation Mayor Mr. V V Rajesh, and Mr. Suman Billa will also attend.
Minister for Transport Mr. C P John will deliver the inaugural address of the closing ceremony of GTM 2026 on June 5 at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village at Vellar near Kovalam.
The June 3-5 event will showcase different tourism circuits by combining the major tourism centres of South Kerala. It will also feature a project to introduce Ayurveda to global tour operators.
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.
GTM 2026 will feature 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.
Also, 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, will be set up at the travel expo.
Mr.i EM Najeeb, President, Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry; Mr. SN Reghuchandran Nair, President, TCCI; Mr. Narayanan MR, President, SKHF; Mr. Sisupalan Sagara, Vice President, SKHF; Mr. Pankaj Senan, Founder and Patron, SKHF; Mr. Prasad Manjali, Secretary, SKHF; and Mr. Siji Nair, CEO, GTM;. were also present at the press meet.
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