HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 16th Ho Chi Minh City International Travel Expo 2022 (ITE HCMC 2022) officially concluded with resounding success. During the three-day event, the Expo has attracted more than 22,000 visitors and 8,600 meetings between sellers and buyers, a 42 percent increase over expectation, bridging more international and local travel businesses together, further boosting the tourism rebound of the Mekong sub-region.

ITE HCMC showcased the strong participation of 305 international and local travel companies, 161 international buyers from 18 countries and territories, 21 international media from prominent travel, lifestyle, tourism, and broadcast platforms. More than 20 forums, business meetings, side events were conducted, attracting 60 local and international tourism experts and 2,500 delegates.

The results reaffirmed the recovery of the inbound tourism industry through opening policies, innovation in products and service quality after the pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam. It also reinforced the importance of Ho Chi Minh City as a gateway for trade and tourism, bridging Vietnam and other countries in the Mekong sub-region.

In just three days, the event under the theme "Growing Forward Together" strengthened solidarity between local and international organizations toward future sustainable tourism.

ITE HCMC 2022: Extraordinarily impressive growth

ITE HCMC has been the most established and the largest travel event in Vietnam for international and local travel companies, creating unparalleled networking opportunities to keep up with the new trends and build up connections with new business partners.

In the context of post-pandemic economic recovery, ITE HCMC continued to reach new heights with the engaged participation of more than 300 exhibitors, including national travel associations, travel agencies, resorts, and hotels from 6 countries and territories. Besides the presence of the Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Departments of Tourism, Tourism Promotion Centers of 42 provinces and cities in Vietnam, ITE HCMC also hosted nearly 21 international media agencies from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Russia, Thailand, US, etc.

According to the official report, ITE HCMC successfully conducted a total of 8,600 B2B meetings between international buyers and sellers during the three-day event and attracted nearly 22,000 visits in total from travel trade and public visitors. More importantly, it is not to mention that the event this year also had the strong support of 161 international buyers from major inbound markets of Vietnam, including Australia, England, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, US, etc.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, also expressed her acknowledgment of the active participation of localities, domestic and international tourism businesses. With that support, Ho Chi Minh City's tourism industry will be motivated to accelerate the recovery and reaffirm its position as one of the leading tourist destinations in Vietnam.

The highlighted events & seminars 

ITE HCMC 2022 has successfully conducted approximately 20 side events and seminars in three days. The notable one is the high-level tourism forum "Solutions for recovery and sustainable development of international tourism", with the participation of more than 300 delegates from Government leaders, leaders of Vietnam Ministry Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces's People's Committees, relevant departments and experts from Laos, Cambodia, Korea, representatives of leading organizations such as UFI - the Global Association of Exhibition, AFECA - the Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations, EuroCham, Vietnam Airlines, Nova Hospitality, Amadeus and many more. At the event, the speakers delivered in-depth analyses on the tourism market and post-pandemic tourism trends and suggestions for tourism development in Vietnam and the region. Government leaders also emphasized key strategic contents of tourism, including green development, digitalization, technology application, human resource training, etc. These are major spurs for sustainable tourism development and adaptations to new movements of international tourism.

The seminar on Promoting the Potential Tourist Market of Vietnam (India and the Middle East) chaired by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, welcomed the presence of 9 experts in India and the Middle East markets to discuss solutions for new inbound market expansion and increase the number of tourists. In addition, the workshop on Digital transformation in tourism and a series of events on Tourism Marketing Day are also some highlights.

Besides the unforgettable Vietnam Night, which made a good impression on international visitors, other outstanding tourism promotion activities were also successfully organized, such as the Cambodia Night hosted by the Ministry of Tourism of Kingdom of Cambodia, Taiwan Night organized by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Ho Chi Minh City, Korea Night hosted by the Korea Tourism Organization in Vietnam, Bac Kan Tourism Promotion Conference, Quang Nam Tourism Day, etc. 

This year, ITE HCMC proudly presented ITE HCMC Awards 2022 to recognize 91 outstanding exhibiting participants and partners for their exemplary and continuous support and contributions. At the same time, this event also contributes to developing tourism into a spearheading economic sector through promoting emulation movements, service quality improvement, and brand building.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism shared "Thanks to the continuous effort, determination, and collaboration between travel authorities, businesses and organizations, Vietnam travel industry has renounced with impressive growth. ITE HCMC 2022 has proved itself as the leading travel events of Vietnam and Mekong sub-region, as well as an ideal platform for all travel authorities and businesses to attract international tourists to Vietnam and strengthen the cooperation between Mekong sub-region travel businesses and potentially global markets".

On The Consumer Day, which took place on the last day of ITE HCMC 2022, attracted more than 10,000 public visitors and presented them with exclusive special travel promotions on flight tickets, accommodation, and tour packages. Visitors also experienced a wide range of performances and traditional showcases on musical and culinary cultures from international and exhibiting booths.

Within the framework of the event this year, the Department of Tourism has also organized many pre tours and post tour  for VIPs, Hosted Buyers, and Hosted Media: Saigon River Cruise, Saigon Imprint, Saigon Underground, Ho Chi Minh City - Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City - Cu Chi - Can Tho, Ho Chi Minh City - Ben Tre, Ho Chi Minh City - Tien Giang, Ho Chi Minh City - Khanh Hoa tour, etc.

The hosted buyers and media were also invited to local cuisine and culture experience activities, such as the Opening Ceremony of the Nghinh Ong Festival in Can Gio. These have made a strong impression on international friends, further boosting the tourism potential of Vietnam in the future.

ITE HCMC 2022 closed with a record number of 111 domestic reporters from 75 press agencies and 321 online news about the events. From 15 August 2022 to 11 September 2022 (28 days), 130 posts were published on social networks, including 30 articles on the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism website, 31 results on Zalo OA, and 69 contents on the official fanpage "ITE HCMC - International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City", "Vibrant Ho Chi Minh City", "Du lịch Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh" attracted more than 24,586 interactions, 103,000 impressions, and 11 short videos reaching 61,295 audiences. Currently, the ITE HCMC fanpage has more than 8,249 likes, including 315 new likes and 464 new followers out of 10,258 followers.

At the World Travel Award Ceremony for Asia & Oceania, Ho Chi Minh City beat seven other rivals to win the award for "Asia's Leading Business Travel Destination 2022", and Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism was named as "Asia's Leading City Tourist Board 2022".

The event was endorsed by the Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee; organized by Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism and Vietnam National Administration of Tourism; executed by Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Promotion Center, C.I.S Vietnam and Le Bros Company.

This year's ITE HCMC 2022 is honored to receive the companionship of Sponsors, including:
Diamond Sponsor: Vietnam Airlines - Official Airline, Saigontourist Group.
Gold Sponsors: GEM Center, Nova Hospitality, Renaissance Riverside Saigon.
Other Sponsors: ACV, Bamboo Airways, Vietjet Air, Vietravel, Dien Quan Media & Entertainment, Ladafoods and many more.

For more information, please contact:
Organizing Committee of ITE HCMC 2022
Email: info@itehcmc.travel 
Website: www.itehcmc.travel 
Facebook: ITE HCMC - International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism
Email: info@visithcmc.vn 
Website: www.visithcmc.vn 
Facebook: Vibrant Ho Chi Minh City, Du lịch Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh

PR Newswire is News Release Distribution Partner of the 16th International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC 2022