Travel and Tourism Exhibition Chennai 2026

On 18th July 2026, the five-member Ryde Travel team — Jayanthan Solomon, Sasi Rekha, MadhanaGopan, Keerthana, and Swetha — walked into the India International Travel Mart (IITM) Exhibition at the Chennai Trade Centre, and walked out with a stack of business cards, a bag full of brochures, and a much bigger picture of how India’s travel industry actually works behind the scenes.

It was the team’s first time attending one of India’s major Travel and Tourism Exhibitions, and the energy of the show floor — DMC representatives, state tourism boards, hoteliers, and international pavilions all under one roof — left a lasting impression. Keerthana, in particular, lit up at the Japan pavilion, since she’s currently preparing for her JLPT exams and got to speak directly with representatives about travel and study opportunities in Japan.

This post is a recap of that experience, along with a deeper look at the history of IITM, the venue that hosted it, and a full 2026 calendar of the major Travel and Tourism Exhibitions happening across India — so you don’t miss the next one.

A Day at IITM Chennai 2026: The Ryde Travel Team Experience

The Ryde Travel team spent the day moving between stalls, having face-to-face conversations with Destination Management Companies (DMCs), travel agents, and exhibitor representatives from multiple states and countries. Business cards were exchanged, brochures were collected from dozens of stalls, and the team came away with fresh leads and a stronger understanding of what today’s DMCs and tourism boards are offering. For a young team, it was a genuinely thrilling, hands-on introduction to the scale and networking power of a national travel trade show — the kind of experience that’s hard to replicate outside an exhibition floor.

History of the India International Travel Mart (IITM) Exhibition

The India International Travel Mart was launched in 1998 by Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions, an event management company that has since become one of India’s leading organisers of travel trade shows and road shows. IITM was designed as a face-to-face meeting ground for the trade — travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers, and consumers — and quickly grew into what is now considered a beacon platform in the Indian travel industry, helping businesses showcase offerings, launch new products, and build long-term partnerships.

IITM started in India’s commercial metros and expanded steadily over the years. The success of the show in these metro cities encouraged the organisers to expand into other cities, and 2009 marked the first IITM edition in Kochi. Today, IITM runs across nine major cities in India and is backed by State Tourism Boards, Union Territories, international tourism boards, and virtually every major Indian travel trade association — including TAAI, OTOAI, ETAA, IATO, ADTOI, ATOAI, and SKAL.

The exhibition has grown into genuinely large-scale trade infrastructure. Some editions have drawn over 2,469 exhibitors and 22,000 trade visitors from 39 countries and 36 Indian states and Union Territories. Recent editions in cities like Pune and Hyderabad alone hosted more than 400 exhibitors from 15-plus countries, with hosted-buyer programmes facilitating over 10,000 one-on-one business meetings, reflecting adventure, wellness, and culinary tourism as growing themes. Editions like the Kochi show have also crossed a symbolic milestone: the 25th edition of IITM took place at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kadavanthra, Kochi, with stalls from countries including Turkey, Malaysia, Vietnam, Bali, Thailand, and Bhutan.

Nearly three decades on, IITM continues to be described as India’s largest travel exhibition and trade show platform, and remains a key channel through which domestic travel agencies — like Ryde Travel — connect directly with DMCs, tourism boards, and international suppliers.

About the Venue: Chennai Trade Centre

The IITM Chennai 2026 edition was hosted at the Chennai Trade Centre (CTC), one of South India’s most established exhibition and convention venues. Located in Nandambakkam, Chennai, the centre was established in 2001 as a joint initiative between the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), under the Government of India, and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), under the Government of Tamil Nadu, and is operationally managed by the Tamil Nadu Trade Promotion Organisation (TNTPO).

The complex spans over 25 acres and includes three large, pillar-free exhibition halls extending across 10,560 square metres of air-conditioned space, along with a dedicated convention centre. The convention centre alone can accommodate 2,000 people, with the option to divide the hall into two sections, and is equipped with audiovisual facilities suited for conferences, conventions, and cultural events. It also offers meeting rooms, a banquet hall, a protocol and VIP lounge, a business centre, and multi-language interpretation facilities.

Its location is another major advantage: the venue sits about 5.5 km from Chennai International Airport, with easy road connectivity to the city and major business hubs. This combination of scale, government backing, and accessibility is exactly why national platforms like IITM and TTF choose Chennai Trade Centre year after year to host their South Indian editions.

Upcoming Travel and Tourism Exhibitions in India (2026)

If IITM Chennai got you excited about the world of B2B travel trade shows, here’s a look at the major Travel and Tourism Exhibitions still ahead on India’s 2026 calendar.

Exhibition	Dates (2026)	Venue / City
TTF – Travel & Tourism Fair, Bengaluru	13–15 March	Palace Grounds, Bengaluru
TTF – Travel & Tourism Fair, Chennai	20–22 March	Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai
SATTE – South Asia Travel & Tourism Exchange	25–27 February	Yashobhoomi (IICC), Dwarka, New Delhi
TTF – Travel & Tourism Fair, Kolkata	9–11 July	Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, Kolkata
ITB India 2026	1–3 September	Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai
BLTM – Business & Leisure Travel and MICE, New Delhi	2–4 September	Yashobhoomi (IICC), Dwarka, New Delhi
IITM – India International Travel Mart	Multiple editions across the year	9 cities including Chennai, Bengaluru, Kochi, Pune, Hyderabad, Mumbai

Note: Trade fair dates and venues are set by the respective organisers and are occasionally revised. Always confirm current dates on the official event website before planning your visit.

SATTE, for context, is South Asia’s leading B2B travel and tourism show, held annually at Yashobhoomi — India’s largest convention and expo venue — and is well-supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, along with national and international tourism boards. ITB India 2026, meanwhile, will be held under the theme “Future of Travel, Built Together,” and is expected to welcome more than 100 exhibitors and over 3,000 participants from across the globe, alongside co-located shows MICE Show India and Travel Tech India.

BLTM 2026 is expected to host more than 500 exhibitors from over 25 countries, along with 300-plus hosted buyers and over 10,500 qualified trade visitors, making it one of the country’s most significant business and MICE travel platforms.

Travel and Tourism Awards in India

Alongside exhibitions, India’s travel industry also runs a strong awards ecosystem that recognises excellence across hospitality, tour operations, and tourism promotion:

National Tourism Awards – Administered annually by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, these awards assess service providers across criteria including safety standards, operational consistency, service quality, and alignment with responsible tourism objectives, covering categories from hotels and adventure tour operators to transport agencies.
SATTE Awards – A platform that honours industry stakeholders across travel, tourism, and hospitality, along with National and State Tourism Boards, recognising the contributions of entrepreneurs, companies, and organisations driving innovation in the sector.
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award – A Government of India honour recognising outstanding contribution to adventure tourism and mountaineering, administered via the official National Awards Portal.
State Tourism Excellence Awards – Several state tourism departments (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, Rajasthan, among others) run their own annual excellence awards for hotels, tour operators, and destination promotion.

Why Travel and Tourism Exhibitions Matter for Agencies Like Ryde Travel

For a growing travel agency, exhibitions like IITM aren’t just about collecting brochures — they’re where real partnerships start. Meeting DMCs and tourism boards face-to-face makes it possible to negotiate better rates, understand new destinations before they trend, and build the kind of trust that a phone call or email simply can’t replicate. It’s also where a young team gets a crash course in how the wider industry operates, from hotel groups to niche destination specialists — exactly the kind of exposure the Ryde Travel team walked away with in Chennai.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is the India International Travel Mart (IITM)?

IITM is one of India’s largest travel trade exhibitions, bringing together travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers, DMCs, and tourism boards from India and abroad. It was launched in 1998 and now runs across multiple Indian cities every year.

2. Where was IITM Chennai 2026 held?

IITM Chennai 2026 was held at the Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam, on 18th July 2026.

3. Who organises the Chennai Trade Centre?

Chennai Trade Centre is a joint venture between the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), Government of India, and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), Government of Tamil Nadu, and is managed by the Tamil Nadu Trade Promotion Organisation (TNTPO).

4. What is the difference between IITM, TTF, SATTE, and ITB India?

All four are major Indian travel trade shows, but they differ in scale and focus. IITM runs across nine cities with both B2B and B2C access; TTF (organised by Fairfest Media) also runs a multi-city calendar; SATTE is a large B2B-focused show held annually in New Delhi; and ITB India is an international B2B show held in Mumbai, part of the global ITB brand family, with a strong MICE and travel-tech focus.

5. Are these travel exhibitions open to the public?

Most exhibitions, including IITM and TTF, have both B2B (trade-only) and B2C (public) segments, often on different days or in different sections. SATTE, ITB India, and BLTM are primarily B2B trade shows aimed at industry professionals. Always check the official event website for visitor eligibility and registration requirements.

6. When is ITB India 2026 taking place?

ITB India 2026 is scheduled for 1–3 September 2026 at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai.

7. What awards exist for the travel and tourism industry in India?

Key awards include the National Tourism Awards (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India), the SATTE Awards, the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, and various state-level tourism excellence awards run by individual state tourism departments.

8. How can a travel agency benefit from attending exhibitions like IITM?

Exhibitions offer direct, face-to-face access to DMCs, tourism boards, and suppliers — making it easier to negotiate rates, discover new destinations, build long-term partnerships, and stay current with industry trends, all in a single day of networking.

Official & Authentic Reference Links

Visit our other blogs

Mahabalipuram Guide: Top Things to See & Do (2026)

Best Places to Visit in Pondicherry for a Perfect Weekend Getaway 2026

Places to Visit in Japan: Perfect 7-Day Itinerary

10 Best Flight Booking Tips for Indians (2026): Save Up to 30% on Every Trip

From the Ryde Travel team’s first exhibition floor in Chennai to the bigger stages of ITB India and SATTE later this year, 2026 is shaping up to be a packed calendar for anyone in India’s travel trade. Keep this list bookmarked — and if you’re planning to attend one of these Travel and Tourism Exhibitions, register early, since the best hosted-buyer slots and stall meetings fill up fast.