HCM City (VNA) – Marking its 20th edition, the Ho Chi Minh City International Travel Expo 2026 (ITE HCMC 2026) represents not only a significant milestone in the event’s development but also underscores the increasingly prominent role of Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam on the global tourism map.
Held under the theme “Vibrant Connections – Global Destinations”, ITE HCMC 2026 is expected to bring together more than 520 exhibitors and 260 high-level international buyers from over 32 countries and territories.
International market expansion strategy
Speaking at the event launch in Hanoi on April 10, Le Truong Hien Hoa, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, said the theme reflects a borderless tourism ecosystem where digital technology and artificial intelligence are integrated with cultural heritage to create flexible, practical and effective connections among policymakers, businesses and international partners.
“With this year's theme, we reaffirm the pioneering role of Ho Chi Minh City's tourism sector in driving the transition from traditional tourism to a green and digital tourism ecosystem that enhances international competitiveness. ITE HCMC 2026 is a strong commitment to a proactive, globally integrated Vietnam that is ready to advance its position on the tourism map of the future,” he said.
Continuing its expansion, ITE HCMC 2026 is expected to attract more than 520 exhibitors, including representatives from 34 Vietnamese localities. The event will also welcome 260 hosted international buyers from over 32 countries and territories, a 10% increase compared with 2025, facilitating approximately 20,050 business-to-business (B2B) meetings between Vietnamese and international tourism enterprises.
As the country's tourism hub, Ho Chi Minh City is continuing to diversify its international visitor markets, enhance resilience, and maximise economic efficiency while maintaining strong growth in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) and premium travel segments.
Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai said three ministerial-level conferences are set to be held within the framework of the event as part of efforts to elevate ITE HCMC to a tourism fair of regional significance.
Business networking, promotion, media engagement
Currently, around 55% of Vietnam’s inbound tourism market comes from Northeast Asia, 20% from Southeast Asia, and 6% each from Australia and India.
Ho Chi Minh City’s visitor profile is similarly diversified, with 44% of international arrivals from Northeast Asia, 15% from Southeast Asia, 14% from North America, 7% from Oceania, and 6% from South Asia. This diversity provides a strong foundation for a flexible promotion strategy that reduces reliance on any single market and strengthens resilience against global uncertainty.
Organised under the direction of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, the expo will feature a range of key activities, including a high-level tourism forum and international conferences on tourism development in Vietnam.
The programme will also include destination familiarisation trips for international buyers and media representatives, showcasing river tourism, rural ecotourism, and traditional craft village experiences in Ho Chi Minh City and other localities.
Meanwhile, the Travel Fun Fair Day will offer visitors access to thousands of promotional travel packages while creating opportunities for cultural exchange among participating countries.
The expo will focus on strengthening cooperation with priority markets, including Northeast Asia, Western Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and India, helping localities and tourism businesses expand partnership networks, improve visitor quality, and enhance the position of Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam as dynamic tourism destinations in the region.
The event is also expected to attract significant international media attention, with around 60 international media organisations, travel influencers, and prominent travel bloggers participating to help promote the southern metropolis’s tourism image to global audiences./.
