VIETNAM’S MOST ESTABLISHED INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL EXPO RETURNS FOR THE 12TH YEAR WITH 15% MORE SELLERS AND BUYERS

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release (August 30, 2016)

 

Vietnam’s Most Established International Travel Expo Returns For the 12th Year with 15% more Sellers and Buyers

The ITE HCMC will also host the Mekong Tourism Alliance Awards, which recognises the excellent services in the tourism and hospitality industry in the Mekong region.

HO CHI MINH CITY, August 30, 2016, Tuesday – The International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City 2016 (ITE HCMC), the largest and most established international travel event in Vietnam, will be back for its 12th edition from September 8 to 10 at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center. 

 

Governmental Support

The ITE HCMC 2016 is endorsed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism, Vietnam, as well as the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, and supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia; Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Lao PDR; Ministry of Hotels & Tourism, Myanmar; and Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Kingdom of Thailand. 

 

ITE HCMC 2016 is organised by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism; Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism; VINEXAD – Vietnam Trade Fair & Advertising Co; and Informa Exhibitions.

 

Shining The Spotlight On The Extraordinary (MTAA)

Also taking place in the expo is the Mekong Tourism Alliance Awards (MTAA), which recognises the excellent services in the tourism and hospitality industry in the Mekong region (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam). It will be held on September 7 at GEM Center, Ho Chi Minh City. 

 

Proudly supported by the countries’ respective tourism ministries, the MTAA, now in its 8th year, has eight prestigious award categories, including The Best Airline of the Year; The Best Outbound Travel Operator of the Year; The Best Inbound Travel Operator of the Year; The Best Five-star Hotel of the Year; and The Best Resort of the Year. 

 

Three New Award Categories

To take into account current trends in tourism and its promotion, three new categories have been introduced this year, and they are: The Best Tourism Website of the Year; Best Festival of the Year; and Broadcast Excellence Award for Destination Promotion. 

 

Mr Jack Wei, the General Manager of Informa Exhibitions and co-organiser of ITE HCMC and MTAA, added: “We are very excited about the three new award categories in the MTAA this year, as it’s a reflection of the changing times, for instance, in how travellers research for their itinerary (Best Tourism Website of the Year award). 

 

“We also added the Broadcast Excellence Award for Destination Promotion, in response to the prevalence of travel videos, as well as the Best Festival of the Year, as tourism boards become more aware of the role that festivals play in attracting travellers who want a more immersive experience.” 

 

ACMECS Responsible Tourism Forum

Another highlight is the ACMECS Responsible Tourism Forum on September 7, organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam in collaboration with the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City. 

 

ACMECS refers to the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy, a political, economic and cultural organisation whose members include Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. 

 

The Forum aims to further promote the development of ACMECS, as well as to confirm the role, status and accountability of the tourism industry to the environment, community, society and the region. 

 

The event is honoured to receive the participation of the Tourism Ministers of the ACMECS countries, as well as other ASEAN countries, and also representatives from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). 

 

Trade Seminars

Apart from buyer-seller meetings and business matching services, there will also be tourism seminars on the following topics: 

 

Ho Chi Minh City, the Next Hotspot of the MICE Tourism in ASEAN;
Dialogue on Tourism Development Cooperation Between Vietnam and EAEU;
Seminar on North American Outbound Travel Market to Vietnam;
Effective Connecting with Travel Bloggers and Destination Marketing Through New Digital Platforms;
Australian and New Zealand Outbound Travel Market to Vietnam. 

 

Exhibitors & Hosted Guests

Exhibitors include airlines, hotels and resorts, tour companies and travel representatives from countries like Cambodia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Netherlands, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam, and many more. 

 

Participating from Vietnam are the provinces: An Giang, Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Bac Lieu, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau, Can Tho, Da Nang, Dak Lak, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Noi, Ha Giang, Hai Phong, Hau Giang, Ho Chi Minh City, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Lam Dong, Long An, Ninh Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ninh, Tien Giang, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, and Vinh Long. 

 

Among the trade visitors expected are 200 international Hosted Buyers from countries like Australia, Austria, China, Czech, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, the UAE, the UK, Ukraine and the US. There will also be a total of 100 Regional Buyers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. 

 

Joining them are the Hosted Media from prominent international lifestyle and trade print media, digital media, TV broadcast crews, and travel bloggers.  

 

A More Vibrant Tourism Scene To Come

Ms Anh Hoa, the Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, and Deputy Head of ITE HCMC Organizing Committee, said: “There will be 15% more sellers and buyers at the ITE HCMC this year, and the increased interest is a sign of an even greater and more vibrant tourism scene in the near future for countries in the Mekong region. 

 

“We are expected to host over 30,000 international and local trade buyers, travel professionals, and public visitors, including for the first time, a group of very popular international bloggers. We believe the expo and their experience in Ho Chi Minh City will leave them mesmerised with our beautiful sights and diverse attractions.”  

 

ITE HCMC Event Details

Date: 8 - 9 September 2016 (Trade Visitors)

10 September 2016 (Trade and Public Visitors)

Time: 9am – 5pm

Venue: Saigon Exhibition & Convention Centre (SECC)  

 

Visitors can pre-register their attendance at www.itehcmc.com before the event, and skip the long queues at the door! They will also be eligible for a lucky draw to win a new Samsung S7 Edge mobile phone if they have pre-registered and also dropped their name card in the lucky draw box at the expo. Terms and Conditions apply.  

 

Travel Fun Fair Day

The last day (September 10) of the expo is the Travel Fun Fair Day that’s open to the public, and visitors can expect lots of special promotions on air tickets and travel packages, as well as games and contests with attractive prizes like a mobile phone, air tickets, hotels vouchers and many more. Find out more on ITE HCMC Facebook – 

 

https://www.facebook.com/International.Travel.Expo   

 

 

For more information and images, please contact the following:

International Enquiries - Informa Exhibitions

Violet Yong

Phone: +65 6411 7709
Email: [email protected]

Local Enquiries - Informa Exhibitions

Louise Linh Pham

Phone: +84-8 3910 0306 (ext: 105)
Email: [email protected]

 

 

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About ITE HCMC

The exhibition, established in 2005, is designed to promote not only the tourism market within the Mekong region but also major tourist destinations around the world. It is now the largest and most established travel event in Vietnam, attracting hundreds of international exhibitors and hosted buyers. Trade and public visitors totaled over 25,000 in the last edition held in 2015. ITE HCMC 2016 is organised by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism; Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism; VINEXAD – Vietnam Trade Fair & Advertising Co; and Informa Exhibitions. Visit http://www.itehcmc.com