HO CHI MINH CITY, 2 September 2019, Ho Chi Minh City hosts the 15th International Travel Expo 5 to 7 September with a record turnout of 250 travel buyers and more exhibition space.
The three-day event occupies two halls of the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC) with opening hours extended from 0900 to 1900. The show opens to consumers after the first day
Tagged the biggest show in Vietnam and Mekong Region the event is positioned to highlight travel to and from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand under the theme “Five Countries – Single Destination” a description that has stuck since 2009.
The event is also the platform the annual ITE Awards an offshoot of the Mekong Tourism Alliance Awards first launched in 2010.
The show is organised by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, Vietnam Trade Fair & Advertising Joint Stock (VINEXAD), and Informa Markets.
What’s New this year
For the first time the show host the Tourism Start-Up Forum and Pavilion that will address the increased reliance on technology and the internet in the tourism and hospitality industry. A Start-up Tourism Forum will be held 4 September at Rex Hotel to discuss fresh solutions, new perspectives, and enhanced customer experiences.
The new Tourism Start-Up pavilion in the exhibition hall will offer services including better security for travellers and their transactions, better payment models for businesses and consumers, automation in hotels and resorts, as well as personalisation of the travel and hospitality experience.
This year there are 350 exhibitors confirmed, and the organisers expect around 35,000 visitors.
Apart from a strong turnout out of exhibitors from Vietnam, booths and pavilions have been booked by popular tourism hotspots such as Australia, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
New exhibitors
Look out for Bamboo Airways, Bic Camera & Ito Yokado, Changi Travel Services Pte Ltd, Explore Tibet International Co Ltd, Grand Howard Hotel, Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU – HOKKAIDO, Hotel Shilla Co Ltd, iFree Group Telecommunication, My Pro Guide Inc, National Palace Museum, PPP Hotel & Resort, and Seven Luck / GLK Grand Korea Leisure. There are also 45 Vietnamese cities and provinces represented at the show.
B2B Meetings
Last year the show clocked 7,600 B2B meetings and organisers are expecting to set a new record. The show claims 250-hosted buyers will attend from 50 countries.
The four primary sources for buyers this year are North America, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and Western Europe. There will also be 50 outbound Vietnamese buyers attending.
ITE Awards
ITE HCMC Awards will be presented on the opening day of the show starting with the ITE Partner Award (Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Bronze)
The ITE Supporter Award will be given to local and international government organisations that participated in the event.
The Best Booth Design Award will be given to exhibitors with the most extraordinary booth design.
Travel Forums
Seminars are scheduled on the sidelines of the show. One of them is the new Corporate Travel Trend Forum, organised by Corporate Travel Community.
Other forums will cover Medical Tourism, The Rise of the Solo Traveller and Smart Tourism Development in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Informa Markets Asia executive vice president
Michael Duck said: “Vietnam continues to witness strong sustained growth in the
tourism sector, with local and foreign companies pumping in more investments
and opening up new routes.
“We are confident that ITE HCMC will continue to serve
the tourism industries in Vietnam and the Mekong sub-region far into the
future.”
