Director of Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Tourism - Ms. Van Thi Bach Tuyet speaking at the press conference

The press conference had attending of Deputy Director General of VNAT – Mr. Ha Van Sieu, Chairman of Viet Nam Tourism Association – Mr. Nguyen Huu Tho, Director of Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Tourism - Ms. Van Thi Bach Tuyet, Chairwoman of Viet Nam Hotel Association – Ms. Do Thi Hong Xoan, representatives of tourism enterprises and numerous press agencies nationwide.

Speaking at the press conference, Ms. Van Thi Bach Tuyet - Director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Tourism affirmed ITE HCMC is the international tourism event organized annually by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City in September. Over the years with the support and cooperation of neighboring countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, ITE HCMC has become the brand of Viet Nam and also Mekong Sub-region’s countries. Following the success of previous organizations, International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City 2016 with the theme “International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City – The gateway to Asia tourism” is expected to become the great event for tourism enterprises and countries to learn information, connect and establish long-term partnerships.

At the press conference, Mr. Pham Huy Hoai - Project Director of Infoma Exhibitions Company -  the unit deploying booths of ITE HCMC presented the report on the results of ITE HCMC 2015 and introduced on ITE HCMC 2016. Accordingly, International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City 2015 attracted the participations of 250 exhibitors from 32 countries and territories and 200 international buyers and more than 25,600 visitor arrivals.

Deputy Director General of VNAT - Mr. Ha Van Sieu speaking at the press conference

ITE HCMC 2016 will be upgraded in scale and quality and expected to have the participations of 270 exhibitors, 250 international buyers and 300,000 visitor arrivals. Especially, ITE HCMC 2016 will focus on the buyer program to attract effectively international and regional buyers. The buyers will schedule the online appointments with the sellers 1 month before the expo. Besides, the international buyers will have the opportunity to survey and experience new tourist sites and routes in Viet Nam after the expo, thereby developing specific tourist products. In addition, ITE HCMC 2016 includes many other events, such as: seminar to introduce world cultural heritage sites in CLMTV countries, seminars to introduce source tourist markets, ACMECS responsible tourism forum, seminar on tourism business connection of Tourism Promotion Organization for Asia Pacific Cities (TPO)…

Also at the press conference, Deputy Director General of VNAT - Mr. Ha Van Sieu would like the information on ITE HCMC 2016 will be introduced and promoted widely at home and abroad; thereby attracting many partners to participate in the programs and activities of the expo. He also hopes that ITE HCMC will become the important event of Viet Nam tourism and Ho Chi Minh City will become the event tourism centre in Southeast Asia.

Thu Giang; Photo: Anh Dung