The International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City 2014 (ITE - HCMC), themed ‘Five countries, one destination’, officially opened at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) in District 7 on September 10.
The opening ceremony was attended by Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hoang Tuan Anh; Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, Le Hoang Quan; leaders in the tourism industry of Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar, Thailand; and the mayors of Phnom Penh, Vientiane, Yangon and Bangkok.
The event, co-organised by Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, attracted the participation of businesses from 26 Vietnamese provinces and 18 other countries and territories.
The ITE - HCMC, initiated by the Mekong Tourism Alliance, which groups Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam, aims to tap into the region’s tourism potential and strengthen co-operation between the Mekong countries regarding tourism development.
Under the framework of the ITE - HCMC 2014, a lantern boat festival themed ‘Ho Chi Minh City - brimming with life’ will take place along the Saigon River for the first time.
On the occasion, the exhibition’s organising board presented Mekong Tourism Alliance Awards to businesses excelling in tourism in each of the five countries.
This year’s event runs from September 11 to 13.