Minister for Transport C P John speaking at the inauguration of B2B Meet of three-day GTM 2026 at Kovalam Also seen are M Vincent, MLA; Minister for Tourism and Culture, Andhra Pradesh, Kandula Durgesh; Suman Billa, Additional Secretary and Director General, India Tourism ; SN Reghuchandran Nair, President, TCCI; Narayanan MR, President, SKHF; Prasad Manjali, Secretary, SKHF; Kottukal Krishnakumar, General Secretary, KTDA; and Baby Mathew, Somatheeram Ayurveda Group.
The three-day Global Travel Meet (GTM) 2026, the first major tourism and hospitality industry event since the UDF government assumed office, commenced at Kovalam, showcasing the unique tourism circuits of South Kerala to domestic and international buyers and sellers.Inaugurating the event, Kerala Transport Minister C.P. John said the government would address the long-pending demand for granting industry status to the tourism sector. He said that tourism contributes between 10 and 20 per cent of Kerala’s Gross State Domestic Product and continues to play a pivotal role in the State’s economy.“Kerala is steadily emerging as a leading leisure tourism destination in Asia. GTM 2026 will provide an excellent platform for tour operators and stakeholders to attract more visitors to South Kerala,” he said.Kandula Durgesh, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Tourism and Culture and the Guest of Honour, said such initiatives would strengthen the tourism marketing potential of South India and enhance regional collaboration.Suman Billa, Additional Secretary and Director General, India Tourism, said Kerala has achieved significant success in the Responsible Tourism segment. However, he stressed the need for the State to adopt a structured growth strategy, noting that its real competitors are not neighbouring States but international destinations such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand.He suggested that Kerala move beyond traditional promotional campaigns and focus on enhancing competitiveness and developing globally scalable tourism destinations. Events such as GTM help democratise the tourism sector by creating opportunities for smaller industry players, he added.The B2B travel and trade exhibition is being jointly organised by the 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.Hosted across multiple venues in and around Thiruvananthapuram, the event provides a platform for exhibitors and buyers to forge business partnerships with key global travel and tourism stakeholders. More than 1,000 domestic and international buyers, along with 300 corporate buyers, are participating in the expo to generate new business leads, launch products, strengthen networks, enhance brand visibility and gain market insights.GTM 2026 also features a dedicated HoReCa (Hotels, Restaurants and Catering) Pavilion, showcasing products and solutions for the hospitality sector. The pavilion is designed as a focused platform for business networking, sourcing and collaboration.Published on June 4, 2026
