Bangladesh Travel Mart kicks off Thursday

The three-day Bangladesh Travel Mart (BTM) 2026, a new international travel trade platform aimed at connecting Bangladesh’s tourism industry with global markets, begins at InterContinental Dhaka on Thursday.

The maiden edition of the event, organised by the Bangladesh Outbound Tour Operators Association (BOTOA), will run from 3 to 5 September, bringing together tourism businesses, buyers, sellers and service providers from home and abroad.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat is scheduled to inaugurate the event as the chief guest.

Organisers hope around 100 exhibitors, 60 trade buyers and 15,000 visitors will participate in the three-day mart.

Tour operators, destination management companies, airlines, travel agencies, tourism organisations and other travel service providers will take part in the event.

BOTOA President Syed Golam Mohammad said the travel mart was designed not merely as an exhibition but as a business-focused platform to create direct links between Bangladesh’s tourism industry and international markets.

“Our goal is to bring domestic and international buyers, sellers and tourism service providers under one roof to create real business opportunities,” he said.

He said Bangladesh had significant untapped tourism potential and stronger engagement with international tourism businesses could help create new markets, attract investment and expand cooperation in tourism, hospitality and aviation.

A key feature of BTM 2026 will be its pre-scheduled B2B buyer-seller meetings. An online pre-scheduled appointment system will allow registered participants to identify potential business partners and arrange meetings before the event.

Travel Mart Chief Coordinator Mohsin Iqbal said the system would help participants use their time more effectively by connecting them with potential partners based on their business interests.

“Our goal is for participants at BTM 2026 to leave not only with networking contacts, but also with tangible business prospects, new partners and opportunities for future market expansion,” he said.

The event will feature separate business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) segments.

The B2B segment will provide tourism professionals with opportunities to meet buyers and sellers, develop business networks and explore partnerships. The B2C segment will allow visitors to directly explore tour packages, airline tickets, hotel and resort bookings, visa services, destination information and special travel offers.

BOTOA General Secretary Md Shariful Islam Sharif said the association aimed to establish an international-standard travel trade platform combining exhibitions with meaningful commercial engagement.

“We want to create an international-standard travel trade platform where, alongside the exhibition, there will be genuine business engagement and productive B2B meetings,” he said.

The organisers hope to develop BTM into a regular international trade platform that can strengthen Bangladesh’s presence in the global tourism market and generate new commercial opportunities for the country’s tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors.