“Development works worth Rs. 100 crore are being undertaken in Fort Kochi alone,”
Kochi: Poised to become the biggest edition in its 25-year history, the Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) 2026, the country’s largest tourism and trade event, has recorded a significant response with a record number of registrations, including 800 international buyers and 2,250 domestic buyers. Of the total registrations, 1,200 buyers will participate as hosted buyers, while another 300 will attend as non-hosted buyers, taking the total number of participating buyers to 1,500.Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan will formally inaugurate the 13th edition of India’s flagship tourism and hospitality business event at the Lulu Bolgatty International Convention Center on September 24. Tourism Minister P.C. Vishnunadh will preside over the function, while Excise and Cooperation Minister M. Liju will be the guest of honour. Addressing a press meet in Kochi, Tourism Minister P.C. Vishnunadh said the government aims to develop 100 new tourism destinations over the next five years, with 20 destinations to be developed every year. The new destinations will be identified in consultation with stakeholders in the tourism industry, followed by infrastructure development.
“Development works worth Rs. 100 crore are being undertaken in Fort Kochi alone,” the Minister said.Vishnunadh also visited the Sagara and Samudrika Convention Centres on Wellington Island, which will host the KTM business meetings from September 25 to 27, and reviewed the preparations.Hibi Eden MP, T.J. Vinod MLA, Deepak Joy MLA, Kerala Tourism Additional Director General Sumit Kumar Thakur, KTM President Jose Pradeep, Secretary S. Swaminathan, former President Baby Mathew and Treasurer Jibran Asif were present.
There has also been a substantial increase in the participation of tourism enterprises and institutions. As many as 383 sellers have completed stall bookings, while 25 stalls representing various government institutions will also be part of the mart.More than 45,000 business meetings have already been scheduled, creating opportunities for business-to-business interactions, marketing and trade. The scale of the meetings highlights the investment and trade potential of Kerala’s tourism sector.The participation of media representatives from India and abroad is another major feature of KTM 2026. A total of 138 media representatives, including 71 international and 67 national journalists, have registered for the event. Business meets, meetings of tourism policymakers and sector-specific seminars and panel discussions featuring national and international experts will be held during the four-day mart.
Post-mart tours will be organised from September 28 to October 3, covering 12 different regions across the State. A pre-mart media tour for invited international and domestic media representatives, featuring three different itineraries, will also be organised from September 19 ahead of the event.Another major feature of KTM 2026 is the transition to a fully digital system. All processes, including registration, appointment scheduling, business-to-business (B2B) meetings, and accommodation and transport arrangements, will be managed digitally.A revamped software platform and mobile application will provide participants with real-time support, information and updates throughout the event.
