More than 20 countries will participate in the Bangladesh Travel Mart (BTM) 2026, the country's first international travel trade marketplace, organisers announced at a press conference in Dhaka on Saturday, July 11.

Organised by the Bangladesh Outbound Tour Operators Association (BOTOA), the three-day event will be held from September 3 to 5 at Hotel InterContinental Dhaka. It aims to strengthen Bangladesh's position in the global tourism industry by creating opportunities for international business, investment and travel partnerships.

According to the organisers, the event will bring together tourism organisations, airlines, hotels, destination management companies (DMCs), tour operators, travel agencies, investors and buyers from Bangladesh and abroad.

More than 130 domestic and international exhibitors, 50 international hosted buyers, 200 Bangladeshi buyers, representatives of over 100 tourism organisations and around 15,000 visitors are expected to attend the exhibition, which BOTOA describes as Bangladesh's largest international tourism and travel trade event.

Speaking at the press conference, BOTOA President Syed Golam Mohammad said Bangladesh's tourism industry has entered "a new era" driven by improved connectivity, increased private-sector investment, stronger government support and growing international engagement.

"Bangladesh possesses exceptional natural beauty, a rich cultural and historical heritage, and renowned hospitality. Bangladesh Travel Mart 2026 will provide an international platform to showcase these strengths and establish stronger partnerships with the global tourism industry," he said.

He said the event would also help promote Bangladesh as a tourism destination while creating new commercial opportunities for the tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors.

BOTOA General Secretary Md. Shariful Islam Sharif said that although the association primarily represents Bangladesh's outbound tourism industry, it is equally committed to expanding inbound tourism and attracting more international visitors.

"BTM 2026 reflects our long-term vision of positioning Bangladesh more prominently within the international tourism marketplace while creating meaningful opportunities for business partnerships and investment," he said.

BTM Chief Coordinator Mohsin Iqbal said the event will serve as an international networking platform by bringing together tourism boards, airlines, hotels, destination management companies, tour operators and travel agencies from around the world under one roof.

BOTOA Vice President A.K.M. Kamruzzaman and members of the association's board of directors were also present at the press conference.

The organisers said BTM 2026 will, for the first time in Bangladesh's travel exhibition history, separate Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) activities into dedicated exhibition halls to facilitate trade engagement while providing consumers with a focused travel marketplace.

The event will also introduce Bangladesh's first International Hosted Buyer Programme, designed to facilitate structured business meetings between international buyers and exhibitors.

According to the organisers, the B2B programme will include pre-arranged buyer-seller meetings, networking sessions and partnership discussions aimed at generating business opportunities, promoting cross-border tourism cooperation and encouraging investment in the tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors.

The B2C exhibition will offer consumers direct access to domestic and international tour packages, airline tickets, hotel reservations, visa services, destination information and promotional offers from participating exhibitors.

A dedicated media centre will also be established at the venue to support local and international journalists with press facilities, interview coordination, media kits and communications support.