A Historic First – India Reaches Out to the Arab Tourism World in One Grand Platform
India is gearing up for its most ambitious outreach to the Arab tourism market yet. Indo Arab Connect 2026 – the country’s first and biggest dedicated GCC and West Asia tourism summit – will be held in Kochi, Kerala from 31 August to 2 September 2026, with familiarisation tours continuing across Kerala and Karnataka until 9 September. Organised by the Indo-Arab Tourism and Hospitality Alliance in association with Tourism India Media Group, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Kerala Tourism, and leading national and international industry associations, the summit is designed to be a transformational platform connecting India’s finest tourism, wellness, medical, and hospitality offerings directly to the Arab world’s most influential travel buyers and decision-makers.
The official logo of Indo Arab Connect 2026 was unveiled by Mr. P.C. Vishnunath, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Cinema, Government of Kerala, and received by Mr. E.M. Najeeb, President of the Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry and the Kerala Medical Value Travel Society, and Mr. Jolly Antony, representative of the Association of Arab Tour Operators (AATO).
Grand Inauguration – A National Stage
The Grand Inauguration will be held on 31 August 2026 in Kochi, to be officially inaugurated by Mr. V.D. Satheesan, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Kerala. The event will be chaired by Mr. P.C. Vishnunath, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Cinema, Government of Kerala, with Mr. Kandula Durgesh, Hon’ble Minister for Tourism, Culture and Cinematography, Government of Andhra Pradesh, and Mr. Rajesh Kumar, Minister for Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu and Mr. K.J. George, Minister for Tourism, Government of Karnataka attending as Chief Guests. Tourism ministers from multiple Indian states, ambassadors and high commissioners from approximately ten countries, senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and representatives of leading national and international tourism industry associations are expected to grace the occasion – making it one of the most high-profile tourism gatherings India has seen in recent years.
200 Arab Buyers, 300 Indian Exhibitors – One Platform
The centrepiece of the summit is a large-scale B2B networking meet on 1 and 2 September 2026, bringing together 200+ qualified Arab tour operators, DMCs, and travel CEOs from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan and Iran for structured, pre-scheduled business meetings with India’s top tourism sellers. Over 300 exhibitors from across South Asia will participate – including state tourism departments from across India, the tourism ministries of Sri Lanka and Maldives, luxury hotels and resorts, multi-specialty hospitals, Ayurveda and wellness centres, MICE operators, airlines, and airport companies. More than 500 Indian tour operators, travel agents, and MICE professionals are also expected to attend the two-day expo and seminar, making the platform equally powerful for domestic trade networking.
The B2B meet will be followed by nine days of familiarisation tours from 2 to 9 September 2026, during which GCC and West Asian delegates will travel across Kerala’s three tourism regions, experiencing first-hand the state’s Ayurveda, wellness, luxury, and cultural offerings.
India’s Medical Value Travel and Wellness Sector – The Arab Market’s Next Big Frontier
One of the defining themes of Indo Arab Connect 2026 is India’s rapidly growing Medical Value Travel and Wellness Tourism sector – and the enormous, largely untapped opportunity it represents for Arab travellers.
India today is among the world’s top destinations for medical value travel, offering internationally accredited hospitals, cutting-edge super-specialty care, Ayurveda-based preventive and curative therapies, and integrative wellness programmes – all at a fraction of the cost of equivalent treatment in Europe, the GCC, or North America. The Arab world, with its high incidence of lifestyle diseases, growing health consciousness, and increasing outbound travel budgets, represents one of the most compatible and high-potential source markets for India’s health and wellness tourism sector.
Kerala – The Undisputed Ayurveda and Wellness Capital
Kerala stands at the heart of India’s wellness tourism offer. With over 5,000 years of documented Ayurveda tradition, a dense ecosystem of NABH-accredited hospitals and authentic Ayurveda centres, world-class resorts integrating clinical wellness programmes, and a naturally healing environment of backwaters, hill stations, and forests, Kerala is without parallel as a wellness tourism destination.
Arab tourists have already recognised this. GCC nations – particularly Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE – consistently rank among Kerala’s top ten international source markets. A critically important characteristic of this segment is its travel season – Arab tourists predominantly visit Kerala between June and September, which coincides with Kerala’s domestic off-season. This makes the Arab market uniquely valuable in sustaining hotel occupancy, employment, and economic activity through months that would otherwise see a significant dip.
Since 2010, travel companies such as Al Safina Travel and Tourism, UAE, have been instrumental in channelling large volumes of Arab tourists to Kerala, with a strong focus on medical and wellness travel. Indo Arab Connect 2026 aims to accelerate this momentum at a scale that has never been attempted before.
Karnataka – Emerging as a Medical Value Travel Powerhouse
Karnataka brings to Indo Arab Connect 2026 a compelling and rapidly growing story in Medical Value Travel and Wellness Tourism. Bengaluru – India’s healthcare innovation capital – is home to some of the subcontinent’s finest NABH and JCI-accredited super-specialty hospitals, offering world-class cardiac care, oncology, orthopaedics, neurology, and organ transplantation at costs that are among the most competitive in Asia. The city has emerged as a preferred destination for patients from the GCC and East Africa seeking advanced tertiary care.
Beyond Bengaluru, Karnataka’s wellness and nature tourism circuit – Coorg, Chikmagalur, Kabini, Hampi, Gokarna, and the Malnad region – offers a rich complement to medical tourism, with a growing number of Ayurveda and integrative wellness resorts catering to international visitors. The combination of world-class medical infrastructure, pristine natural landscapes, and improving air connectivity from GCC airports to Kempegowda International Airport positions Karnataka as a destination with enormous potential to grow its share of the Arab wellness and medical travel market.
With Mr. K.J. George, the newly appointed Minister for Tourism and Energy, Government of Karnataka, now at the helm of the state’s tourism sector, Indo Arab Connect 2026 represents a timely opportunity for Karnataka to present its medical value travel and wellness offering to 200+ Arab buyers on a national stage.
The Vision and the Economic Impact
Mr. Ravisankar K.V., Chief Coordinator of the Indo-Arab Tourism and Hospitality Alliance and CEO of Tourism India Group, said the summit has been conceived to give Arab tour operators direct, immersive exposure to India’s Ayurveda, medical tourism, luxury, and cultural offerings across multiple states. The initiative aims to attract nearly three lakh additional visitors from the Arab world in the near future, contributing more than Rs. 25,000 crore to India’s tourism economy.
“This is the first time in India that a large-scale, dedicated travel summit of this nature has been organised exclusively targeting the Arab tourism market. Ambassadors and industry representatives from nine Arab nations, along with tourism ministers and senior officials from various Indian states, have confirmed their willingness to participate. Indo Arab Connect 2026 is not just an event – it is India’s opening statement to the Arab tourism world,” Mr. Ravisankar said.
The Arab Traveller – Among the World’s Highest Spenders
Mr. Rasheed Kakkat, President of the Association of Arab Tour Operators, noted that Arab travellers are consistently among the world’s highest spenders on accommodation, dining, wellness, and shopping – making every arrival disproportionately valuable to a destination’s economy. He pointed out that despite ongoing geopolitical tensions in parts of the Middle East, Arab travellers continue to show strong and growing interest in India – and in Kerala in particular – as a trusted, welcoming, and value-rich destination. The season beginning in late June 2026 is already witnessing encouraging growth trends that augur well for the summit in September.
For Media and Trade Enquiries:
Rasheed Kakkat, MD, Silk Routes GLobal Pvt. Ltd. & President – Association of Arab Tour Operators
Mob: +91 96059 51111 | rasheed@gtmholidays.com
Amal Raj K, Associate Director- Tourism India Media Group
Mob: +91 9847560531 | amal@tourismindiaonline.com
