The inaugural Bangladesh Travel Mart (BTM) 2026 will begin in Dhaka on September 3, bringing together domestic and international tourism businesses, trade buyers, sellers and service providers on a common platform.

The three-day event, organised by the Bangladesh Outbound Tour Operators Association (BOTOA), will be held at InterContinental Dhaka from September 3 to 5.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M. Rashiduzzaman Millat, MP, is scheduled to inaugurate the travel mart as the chief guest.

BOTOA announced details of the maiden edition at a press conference at InterContinental Dhaka on Monday, where its President Syed Golam Mohammad, General Secretary Md Shariful Islam Sharif, Travel Mart Chief Coordinator Mohsin Iqbal and other officials briefed journalists on the preparations and objectives of the event.

The organisers expect around 100 exhibitors, 60 trade buyers and 15,000 visitors to participate in the three-day event. Tour operators, destination management companies, airlines, travel agencies, tourism organisations and other travel service providers from Bangladesh and abroad are expected to take part.

BOTOA President Syed Golam Mohammad said the event was conceived as more than an exhibition.

“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 has significant untapped tourism potential and that stronger engagement with international tourism businesses could help create new markets, attract investment and expand cooperation across the country's tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors.

One of the key features of BTM 2026 will be pre-scheduled business-to-business buyer-seller meetings.

An online Pre-Scheduled Appointment system will allow registered buyers and sellers to identify prospective business partners and arrange meetings before the event. The organisers said the mechanism is intended to facilitate targeted business negotiations, development of new tourism products and destinations, exchange of packages and exploration of commercial agreements and long-term partnerships.

Travel Mart Chief Coordinator Mohsin Iqbal said the system would enable participants to make more productive use of their time 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.

BTM 2026 will feature separate business-to-business and business-to-consumer components.

The B2B segment will provide travel trade professionals with opportunities to meet domestic and international buyers and sellers, build business networks and explore new partnerships. The B2C segment will enable visitors to engage directly with participating companies and explore domestic and international 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 was seeking 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.

He added that the event would also give travellers an opportunity to directly explore and compare offers from participating companies and destinations.

The organisers said they envision Bangladesh Travel Mart developing beyond a three-day annual event into a regular international trade platform capable of strengthening Bangladesh's presence in the global tourism marketplace.

They expect direct engagement among international buyers, sellers and local tourism businesses to generate new commercial opportunities, expand markets and deepen international cooperation in Bangladesh's tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors.