Nguyen Thi Hong, Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, made the statement at the conference held in the city on March 26 to review ITE activities over the last decade.

ITE-HCMC 2015, scheduled to take place from September 10-12, is expected to draw 15 foreign press agencies and 25,000 visitors, Hong highlighted.

She added that in 2015, the municipal tourism sector is working towards professional and sustainable tourism development with a focus on diversifying tourism products in line with highlighting the culture of Vietnamese ethnic groups.

Meanwhile, Vice Director of the municipal Tourism Department La Quoc Khanh said the ITE-HCMC has contributed to the popularisation of Vietnamese tourism destinations but noted the need for a specific strategy to organise the expo’s activities.

At the event, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan spoke highly of the efforts made by municipal authorities and the ITE-HCMC organising board in making the fair a national tourism event.

He asked relevant agencies to improve the quality of the tourism products, create favourable policies and tackle barriers to tourism development in order to leverage the efficiency of the ITE.

Held for the first time in 2005, the ITE-HCMC is designed to promote not only the regional tourism market but also major destinations around the world.