TravTalk Middle East Online Magazine
Vietnam is steadily growing to become a hub in the Southeast Asian region. The 13th ITE HCMC closed with a record number of exhibitors, visitors and buyer-seller meetings in 2017, bridging more international and local travel business together, further boosting the tourism potential of the Mekong sub-region.
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The International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC), the Greater Mekong sub region’s largest international travel event, concluded its 13th annual event in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on September 9. A total of 5,282 meetings were conducted between the buyers and sellers during the three-day event, a 45 per cent increase from last year, reaffirming the importance of the event as a key bridge in the tourism industry for both inbound and outbound markets in Vietnam and the region. Vietnam’s tourism welcomed more than one million international visitors in August 2017 alone – an increase of 35.1 per cent as compared to 2016.
Organised by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, Informa Exhibitions and the Vietnam Trade Fair & Advertising Joint Stock, ITE HCMC 2017 continued to be the leading travel trade event for international and local travel businesses. The extensive support from key exhibitors and new companies has further promoted the country’s tourism opportunities. ITE HCMC 2017 showcased the strong participation of 300 international and local travel companies, including international promotion agencies.
“The tourism industry in Vietnam has an unlimited dynamism,” says Jack Wei, General Manager of Informa Exhibitions (Asia) and CoOrganiser of ITE HCMC. “For us, it is important to discuss and present this dynamic development in a focussed way at ITE HCMC. We also want to offer all our market partners a central platform so that they can showcase their achievements and prepare their companies for future of the tourism industry.”
ITE HCMC 2017 hosted 305 international buyers from 40 countries and territories, and 40 international media from prominent travel, lifestyle, tourism and broadcast platforms, as well as award-winning travel bloggers and digital influencers.
The Gala Dinner, themed ‘Vietnam Night’ held on September 6, was one of the first in a series of activities of ITE HCMC 2017. The dinner was attended by government officials from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand (CLMT), Vietnam, Italy together with the sponsors, partners, hosted buyers, sellers and media. It featured the unique beauty of Vietnam with 54 ethnic groups, together with different traditional performances from the Mekong subregion. The opening of the 13th ITE HCMC was graced by H.E. Nguyen Ngoc Thien, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam; H.E. Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee together with other government officials from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Italy at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City. ITE HCMC 2017 hosted important multilateral meetings, attended by high ranking dignitaries from the ACMECS countries and Italy, to promote cooperation and development of the tourism sector among the countries, including, the 4th CLMV Tourism Ministerial Conference, the 3rd ACMECS Tourism Ministerial Conference and the Vietnam-Italy Tourism Forum.
This year, ITE HCMC presented new ITE Awards to recognise the outstanding participants and partners for their exemplary support and contributions, including three award categories – ITE Best Booth Design Award, ITE Exhibitor Recognition Award and ITE Partner Recognition Award. The Travel Fun Fair Day held on the last day of ITE HCMC 2017 attracted more than 16,000 visitors and presented them with exclusive travel promotions on flight tickets, accommodation and tour packages. Public visitors also experienced stage performances and traditional showcases on musical and culinary cultures from exhibiting booths. ITE HCMC will return for its 14th edition on September 6-8, 2018 at SECC, featuring more international and local travel companies, thereby, promising a better tourism market mix to the event. All travel companies who are looking to develop both inbound and outbound tourism businesses in Vietnam or CLMT countries are welcome to register at www. itehcmc.com.
