Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), India’s largest tourism and hospitality industry event, will be held in Kochi from September 24 to 27, 2026.
The 13th edition of the three-day event will feature business-to-business meetings, policy-level discussions, and seminars attended by leading industry stakeholders and national and international experts, announced PA Mohamed Riyas, Kerala Tourism Minister, at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram today, January 21, 2026.
Event Structure and Venue
The inauguration will be held at Grand Hyatt Kochi, Bolgatty, on September 24. Business meetings – the central feature of the event – will take place from September 25 to 27 at the Sagara and Samudrika Convention Centre on Willingdon Island.
The upcoming edition of KTM will attract over 400 international buyers and more than 1,500 domestic buyers, including hosted buyers and high-value MICE and wedding planners. Kerala Travel Mart Society, which organizes KTM, will intensify efforts to increase participation from new markets while expanding buyer numbers from existing markets.
“KTM 2026 will feature more than 400 seller stalls of different dimensions. Across three days, it will facilitate over 60,000 pre-scheduled B2B meetings,” Mr. Riyas stated.
Platform for Tourism Innovation
Noting that tour operators and travel agents play a major role in tourism development, Mr. Riyas emphasized that KTM serves as the perfect platform for buyers and sellers to gain a comprehensive understanding of Kerala’s tourism potential. According to the Minister, KTM will catalyze innovative transformation in the tourism sector.
Mr. Riyas also launched the promotional video for KTM 2026, while Mr. Biju K IAS, Kerala Tourism Secretary, unveiled the revamped website of Kerala Travel Mart Society.
Digital Transformation
Mr. Jose Pradeep, KTM Society President, announced that all mart procedures – including registration, B2B meetings, and seminars – will be fully digitized through refurbished software and a mobile application.
Also present at the press conference were Ms. Sreedhanya Suresh IAS, Additional Director (General) of Kerala Tourism department; Mr. S Swaminathan, KTM Honorary Secretary; Mr. Harikumar C, Vice President; Mr. Jibran Asif, Treasurer; Mr. Jobin Joseph, Joint Secretary; and Mr. EM Najeeb, KTM Past President.
Extended Programming
Post-event tours are scheduled from September 28 to October 3 across twelve different sectors. Familiarization tours for invited foreign and domestic media representatives will be conducted ahead of the event.
Building on Past Success
KTM 2024 recorded unprecedented buyer participation, both international and domestic. As part of showcasing new tourism products, KTM collaborated with the State Tourism Department to organize a highly successful Wedding and MICE Tourism Summit last year.
The summit concluded with significant announcements, including the formation of a MICE and Wedding Tourism Promotion Bureau and the introduction of a dedicated policy for the sector.
For the 2026 edition, focused efforts will target attracting greater numbers of foreign buyers from new markets while identifying and engaging new buyers from existing markets to participate in the mart.
