A performance opening the 13th International Travel Expo HCM City (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – The 13th International Travel Expo HCM City (ITE HCMC), entitled “Your gateway to tourism in Asia”, opened at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) on September 7.
Jointly held by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the city’s Department of Tourism, the three-day event brings together more than 700 foreign tour operators from with 40 countries and territories, including the US, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, China, Japan and Southeast Asian countries.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Bui Ta Hoang Vu said the fair is an important event to promote Vietnamese tourism among international friends and enhance cooperation in developing the tourism industry among countries.
Apart from an array of networking events, it hosts a series of high-powered seminars on different topics, including those relating to major tourism markets in 2017 and the development of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) tourism in HCM City. Business matching event, online pre-appointments, and buyer-seller meetings also take place.
This year’s event features ITE Awards for the first time to honour travel companies who have made significant contributions to the expo.
Launched in 2005, the annual ITE HCMC is a major international tourism event that connects five lower Mekong countries including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam for both inbound and outbound markets.
In 2016, the expo attracted 270 exhibitors from 17 countries and territories worldwide as well as 32 Vietnamese localities. More than 26,000 people visited the event while over 3,600 meetings between sellers and buyers took place.-VNA
VNA
