TM 2026, Asia’s Leading Travel Show, Opens in Mumbai as India Becomes Global Tourism Powerhouse

POSTED BY ANAGHA SAKPAL ON DATED 06/02/2026

OTM returns to Mumbai, bringing together global destinations, tourism ministers, hotels, airlines and the tourism ecosystem from 60+ countries

Mumbai, : (RMN. IN) , Asia’s leading travel trade show, officially opened today at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, bringing together the global travel and tourism ecosystem at a time when India has firmly emerged as one of the world’s most strategically important outbound travel markets. Recognised by NielsenIQ as the Leading Travel Trade Show in India and Asia for two consecutive years, OTM 2026 is hosting over 2,200 exhibitors from more than 60 countries, with 45+ National Tourism Organisations participating and over 50,000 travel trade visitors and 1,000+ top travel industry professionals participating over the three days.

With the increase in the number of exhibitors and visitors, OTM has become the most internationally diverse and largest event of its type ever organized in the region.

Event Highlights

Exhibitor Showcase:

Over 2,200 exhibitors from 60+ countries, representing national and state tourism boards, airlines, hotels and resorts, destination management companies, cruise operators, attractions, and travel technology providers.

Global Participation:

Strong representation from Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Oceania, including long-standing outbound markets and a growing number of emerging and experiential destinations engaging with India as a priority growth market.

High-Quality Buyer Access:

More than 50,000 trade visitors, including 1,000+ hosted and VIP buyers, enabling focused B2B engagement across leisure, corporate travel, MICE, weddings and niche travel segments.

Structured Business Engagement:

Over 50,000 pre-scheduled B2B meetings expected across the three days, reinforcing OTM’s positioning as a platform built for measurable business outcomes.

Leadership & Knowledge Exchange:

The OTM Forum brings together policymakers and senior industry leaders from across the global travel ecosystem, including executives from MakeMyTrip, Cleartrip, Thomas Cook India, SOTC Travel, Paytm, TBO.com, Google India, Deloitte, Reliance Industries, Aditya Birla Group, Godrej Industries, VFS Global, IHCL, and leading national tourism boards and airlines. Through a series of high-level panels and closed-door discussions, the Forum examines outbound travel growth, destination competitiveness, corporate travel evolution, distribution, marketing, technology, and the changing expectations of the Indian traveller.

“Unlocking EU–India Opportunities for Tourism and Hospitality,” organised in collaboration with European institutional partners. The session brings together senior industry leaders including Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head, Thomas Cook India Ltd.; Anahita Avari, Head of Sales, South Asia, VFS Global; Aparna Chaturvedi, Country Head, Europamundo; and Delna Jasoomoney, Vice President – Travel Industry Sales, IHCL, and is moderated by Vijayata N. Raheja, COO, K Raheja Group.

India moves to the centre of global destination strategy

The inauguration of OTM 2026 marks a defining moment in the global travel industry’s engagement with India. Once viewed primarily as an emerging market, India has now become a central growth market, driven by rising disposable incomes, expanding international connectivity, and a growing appetite for long-haul, experiential, and high-value travel. This shift is visibly reflected at OTM 2026, where destinations are engaging with India through high-value, long-term trade promotions.

Inaugural programme sets the tone for OTM 2026

Day 1 of OTM 2026 commenced with the official inauguration of the exhibition, followed by a VIP walk-around and exhibitor interactions, leading into the flagship Inaugural Programme titled “India Takes Its Place on the Global Travel Stage.” The show was inaugurated by Datuk Manoharan Periasamy, Chairman, Tourism Malaysia, Richard Duval, Minister of Tourism of Mauritius; H.E. Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Sarawak; and Hon. Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Sri Lanka, and was moderated by Tanya Khanijow.

The afternoon programme included the CEOs’ Lunch, followed by the panel “India at 100 Million: The Global Race to Capture the Next Big Traveller Wave,” bringing together destination leaders Christian Schoch (Switzerland Tourism), Dinesh Burrenchobay (Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority), Gary Hendricks-Dominguez (Cayman Islands Department of Tourism), Islom Ibragimov (Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan), Nuwal Fadhilah Binti Ku Azmi (Tourism Malaysia) and Sheetal Munshaw (Atout France). The day concluded with a market-focused discussion on demand and disruption in India’s online travel market, featuring CXOs from Cleartrip, MakeMyTrip and Paytm Travel, moderated by Virendra Jain (VIDEC).

Global destinations deepen engagement with India

OTM 2026 features strong official participation from destinations across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Oceania. With nearly 50 global tourism boards officially participating at OTM, this edition reflects the deepest engagement the global tourism ecosystem has had in the subcontinent. Alongside long-standing outbound markets, several destinations that were once considered niche or aspirational for Indian travellers are now engaging with India as their next major growth market, with many participating exclusively at OTM 2026.

Malaysia Airlines anchors aviation connectivity at OTM 2026

Reflecting the critical role of aviation in unlocking outbound growth, OTM 2026 also features Malaysia Airlines as the Partner Airline, with a prominent presence at the exhibition. The airline is showcasing its network connectivity, premium offerings and India-focused travel solutions, reinforcing the importance of strong air links in supporting India’s expanding global travel footprint and facilitating access to destinations across Southeast Asia and beyond. Several other leading airlines including Air India are participating in a major way.

From exhibition floor to industry dialogue

Beyond destination and airline participation, OTM 2026 continues to strengthen its positioning as a focused B2B market-access platform designed to deliver measurable business outcomes. The exhibition brings together leading hotels and resorts, destination management companies, cruise operators, travel technology providers and specialised travel segments, enabling structured engagement through pre-scheduled meetings, on-ground interactions and curated networking.

Structured engagement remains central to the platform, with 50,000+ pre-scheduled B2B meetings expected over the three days, enabling targeted, outcome-driven conversations between exhibitors and buyers.

As part of its broader international vision, Fairfest Media has recently expanded its global portfolio with the acquisition of WTE Miami, extending its market-access platform beyond Asia and strengthening the bridge between India, Asia and the Americas.

What lies ahead over the next two days

Across Days 2 and 3, the agenda moves into sharper, segment-led conversations spanning leisure demand, corporate travel, weddings, marketing and distribution. Day 2 examines changing Indian traveller motivations through “Vibe Traveling – Aesthetics, Experiences and the New Indian Narrative,” and deep-dives into business mobility with “Building India’s Corporate Travel Ecosystem: A $20B Journey,” alongside a buyer-led session on what India’s top corporate travel buyers expect from the industry today. The programme also expands into destination weddings through WeddingSutra Engage, and explores experience-led travel and commercial growth through sessions such as “Live Tourism” and “The Future of Travel Marketing: AI, Personalisation and Loyalty Shifts.” Day 3 turns the focus to distribution power and trade evolution through “The New Power of the Intermediary” and “Inside India’s Travel Trade: What’s Changed, What’s Working, What’s Next,” before concluding with the Valedictory and Awards Function.

Commenting at the inauguration, Sanjiv Agarwal, Chairman & CEO, Fairfest Media Ltd., said, “OTM was created to reflect the reality of global travel today, where India is no longer an emerging opportunity but one of the most sought-after and strategic travel markets globally. The participation we see at OTM 2026, from established destinations to emerging and exotic ones, clearly demonstrates how the world is repositioning itself around the Indian traveller. OTM continues to serve as the leading travel show in Asia – one where this engagement takes shape in a focused, world-class setting.”

Over the three days, the Forum continues with a series of closed-door and open sessions examining outbound travel growth, destination strategy, aviation connectivity, corporate travel, emerging markets and the future of travel distribution.