The 8th edition of the International Travel Expo (ITE) will take place at the Sai Gon Exhibition and Convention Centre in HCM City from September 13-15 this year.

The first two days of the exhibition will be opened only to trade visitors, which include hosted buyers and sellers. Public visitors are welcomed to join the event on the last day.

ITE HCMC 2012 expects to gather over 200 participating companies from more than 30 countries and anticipates 18,000 to 20,000 international and regional visitors.

Organisers said that the exhibition looks to provide a unique platform to launch inbound and outbound travel businesses in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region.

It will also present an excellent opportunity for avid travelers to enjoy massive promotions and discounts extended especially for the event.

The organising committee consists of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, VINEXAD and IIR Exhibitions.

In conjunction with the exhibition, a ministerial conference will be held for the first time to congregate top ministries and tourism experts to share their insights on inbound and outbound tourism through face-to-face dialogues.

Along with the conference, there will be seminars on interesting topics pertaining to current trends and the future of tourism, which are bound to attract buyers and sellers.

In addition to national pavilions, the exhibition will also feature themed ones focusing on the luxury travel segment, golf tours, cruise services, special attractions and education and medical tourism.

These pavilions will be among the main highlights at ITE HCMC as they are key segments within the tourism industry of the Greater Mekong Sub-Region (GMS).

Other key features returning to the event include FAM trips, Hosted Buyers' Programme, Hosted Media Programme, lucky draws, special performances and the Tourism Alliance Awards (TAA).-VNA