International travel expo kicks off in HCMC

The 8th International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC) kicked off at Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in HCMC’s District 7 with the participation of 500 local and foreign companies from 30 countries and territories worldwide.

The event, themed “Four Countries-One Destination” (4CODE), is tailored to attract about 18,000 quality international and regional visitors, mostly professionals in the travel, aviation and hotel industries from 33 key tourism markets.

They include Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Southeast Asia, Europe, North America and the United Arab Emirates.

The ITE HCMC 2012, focusing on both inbound and outbound tourism in the sub-Mekong region, will offer a chance for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam to enhance and maximize trade networking experiences for these countries.

The 3-day event will also host cultural activities to promote tourism, including Cambodia Night, Laos Night and art performances from Malaysia.

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Foreign visitor seeks for tourism information at the Philippines booth at ITE HCMC 2012. Photo: Thoai Tran.

The first ministerial conference between Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam will also be organized to discuss an informal agreement about tourism promotion between the countries' tourism ministers.

There will also be meetings between the mayors of cities in the lower sub-Mekong region to link tourism development travel between the major tourist centers of HCMC (Vietnam), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Vientiane (Laos), Yangon (Myanmar) and Bangkok (Thailand).

ITE HCMC 2012 also provides many prizes on-site for public visitors, including huge discounts on travel tour packages from ChoLon Tourist, flighTravel, Ben Thanh Tourist, Industry Travel Asia, and discounts on air tickets from Vietnam Airlines, Air Astana and many vouchers from Sandy Beach Non Nuoc Resort and Asia Dragon.

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Foreign guests visit Vietnam Airlines booth in ITE HCMC 2012. Photo: Thoai Tran.

There will also be the International Hosted Buyer Program, aimed at attracting 200 key global buyers from the aforementioned major markets.

Some 180 international buyers from the 33 key tourism markets have registered to meet with local and foreign travel service companies to foster a tourism cooperation relationship.

They are attending to network with exhibiting international and local vendors and establish partnerships with co-buyer participants whilst exchanging insights with tourism authorities.

The annual expo, jointly held by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, HCMC Department of Culture-Sports-Tourism, Vietnam Trade Fair and Advertising Joint Stock Co., and IIR Exhibitions, is the largest event of its kind in the region and the only international exhibition supported by the Government of Vietnam.

The expo, which was established in 2005, is designed to be the perfect platform for both local and international travel and tourism organizations to collaborate and discuss inbound and outbound tourism.

Sourced: tuoitrenews