13th International Travel Expo in Vietnam

With international inbound traveller numbers increasing by almost 30 per cent in the first five months of 2017, Vietnam’s premier global tourism event, the International Travel Expo, returns to Ho Chi Minh City for the 13th year, from September 7-9, 2017, at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Centre.

The theme for 2017’s International Travel Expo in Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC) is ‘Your Gateway to Tourism in Asia’, as it celebrates ASEAN’s 50th anniversary and embraces ASEAN as a single and united tourism destination.

The annual International Travel Expo is a key international tourism event in Vietnam and the largest event of its kind in the Mekong sub-region for both inbound and outbound markets. Recognised as Vietnam’s one and only national tourism event by Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism, it is also the only travel event endorsed by the tourism alliance of all five countries in the Mekong region. ITE HCMC is organised by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT); HCMC Department of Tourism; Vietnam Trade Fair & Advertising Joint Stock (VINEXAD); and Informa Exhibitions, and supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia; Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Lao PDR; Ministry of Hotels & Tourism, Myanmar; and Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Kingdom of Thailand.

The first two days of the event cater to trade professionals while the third day to trade visitors as well as the public; special promotions, travel packages, stage activities and performances are the highlights of this event. Following the success of last year’s edition and the positive positioning of Vietnam as the tourism hotspot currently, the organisers of ITE HCMC 2017 are expecting an overall increase of 20 per cent in participation over the last year.

This year, ITE HCMC will host a multitude of national pavilions and the current confirmed participation includes members from Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Thailand (more to be announced soon). Further, exhibitors sure to participate include airlines, hotels and resorts, tour companies and travel representatives from countries like Australia, Cambodia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Maldives. The event has also invited 300 international and regional travel buyers from 50 major markets.

At ITE HCMC, the networking events include a series of high-powered seminars on topics relating to emerging travel and tourism, sustainability, travel technology, social media for tourism and hospitality, investment tourism development etc. Over 3600 meetings were conducted between buyers and sellers last year, and the organisers expect the number to grow by 15 per cent this year. The Hosted Buyer Programme allows buyers, from leisure, corporate, MICE, luxury, and special interest travel companies to enjoy pre-show and post-show tours to explore Vietnam. Jack Wei, General Manager, Informa Exhibitions, and Co-Organiser of ITE HCMC, adds, “ITE HCMC’s stellar performance record throughout the decade is further strengthened by the success of the 2016 edition, and this has resulted in more exhibitors and buyers participating in this year’s event. In addition, Vietnam’s booming tourism industry is reaching even greater heights. According to a recent announcement by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, Vietnam was ranked 7th in the list of the world’s top 20 fastest growing travel destinations. Also, there was a 24.6 per cent surge in the number of foreign visitors arriving in the country in 2016 compared to the previous year.”