By Sitaram Mewati
OTM 2026, Asia’s leading travel trade show, opened today at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, underscoring India’s growing stature as one of the world’s most influential outbound travel markets. Recognised by NielsenIQ as the Leading Travel Trade Show in India and Asia for two consecutive years, OTM 2026 has brought together the global travel and tourism ecosystem at a time when destinations worldwide are recalibrating their strategies around the Indian traveller.
This year’s edition features over 2,200 exhibitors from more than 60 countries, including 45+ National Tourism Organisations, along with airlines, hotel groups, destination management companies, cruise operators, attractions and travel technology providers. More than 50,000 travel trade visitors and over 1,000 hosted and VIP buyers are expected to participate across the three-day event, making it the most internationally diverse and largest OTM ever organised.
The strong turnout reflects India’s rapid evolution from an emerging source market to a central pillar of global tourism growth. Rising disposable incomes, enhanced international connectivity and a growing appetite for experiential, long-haul and premium travel have positioned India at the heart of destination planning and long-term trade engagement.
OTM 2026 was officially 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. The inauguration was followed by a VIP walk-through of the exhibition floor, highlighting the breadth of global participation.
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Day 1 featured the flagship Inaugural Programme titled “India Takes Its Place on the Global Travel Stage,” moderated by travel creator Tanya Khanijow. The afternoon programme included the CEOs’ Lunch and a high-level panel discussion, “India at 100 Million: The Global Race to Capture the Next Big Traveller Wave,” with senior destination leaders from Switzerland Tourism, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Uzbekistan Tourism Committee, Tourism Malaysia and Atout France.
A key highlight of the show is the OTM Forum, which brings together policymakers and senior industry leaders for knowledge exchange and strategic dialogue. Executives from MakeMyTrip, Cleartrip, Thomas Cook India, SOTC Travel, Paytm, TBO.com, Google India, Deloitte, Reliance Industries, Aditya Birla Group, Godrej Industries, VFS Global and IHCL are participating in panel discussions and closed-door sessions examining outbound travel growth, corporate travel evolution, destination competitiveness, technology and changing Indian traveller expectations. A dedicated session on “Unlocking EU–India Opportunities for Tourism and Hospitality” is being organised in collaboration with European institutional partners.
Aviation connectivity features prominently at OTM 2026, with Malaysia Airlines participating as the Partner Airline and showcasing its network and India-focused offerings. Several other major airlines, including Air India, are also participating, highlighting the role of air connectivity in enabling India’s expanding global travel footprint.
Beyond the exhibition, OTM 2026 continues to reinforce its positioning as a focused B2B platform, with over 50,000 pre-scheduled meetings expected during the event. The show also reflects organiser Fairfest Media’s expanding international vision, following its recent acquisition of WTE Miami, strengthening business linkages between India, Asia and the Americas.
Over the next two days, OTM 2026 will feature segment-led discussions on leisure travel, corporate mobility, weddings, marketing, distribution and technology, before concluding with the Valedictory and Awards Function on Day 3.
Editor in Chief : Mewati SItaram
