The 2016 International Travel Expo HCM City will see a 15 per cent increase in the number of sellers and buyers this year, Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, deputy director of the city Department of Tourism, tells a press conference in HCM City yesterday. — Photo Thu Hang

HCM

The largest and best established travel event in Viet Nam would see a 15 per cent increase in the number of sellers and buyers this year, Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, deputy director of the city Department of Tourism, said.

"The increased interest is a sign of an even greater and more vibrant tourism scene in the near future for countries in the Mekong region," Hoa told a press conference in HCM City yesterday (August 30).

It is expected to attract 200 international buyers from Austria, China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, Russia, the UK and other countries.

Another 100 regional buyers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam will also attend.

The fair will have a total of 280 booths.

A group of popular international travel bloggers have been invited to the event.

Apart from buyer-seller meetings and business-matching services, there will be seminars on tourism topics like HCM City, the next hotspot of MICE Tourism in ASEAN, dialogue on tourism development co-operation between Viet Nam and the Eurasian Economic Union, effectively connecting with travel bloggers, and destination marketing through new digital platforms.

The Mekong Tourism Alliance Awards (MTAA) will be given away at a function on September 7 at GEM Centre to recognise excellent services in the tourism and hospitality industry in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

The MTAA, now in its eighth year, has eight award categories: Best Airline of the Year, Best Outbound Travel Operator of the Year, Best Inbound Travel Operator of the Year, Best Five-star Hotel of the Year, Best Resort of the Year, Best Tourism Website of the Year, Best Festival of the Year, and Broadcast Excellence Award for Destination Promotion.

The last three categories have been introduced this year.

"We are very excited about the three new award categories in the MTAA this year as it is a reflection of the changing times, for instance, in how travellers research for their itinerary (Best Tourism Website of the Year award)," said Jack Wei, the general manager of Informa Exhibitions.

"We also added the Broadcast Excellence Award for Destination Promotion in response to the prevalence of travel videos, as well as the Best Festival of the Year, as tourism boards become more aware of the role that festivals play in attracting travellers who want a more immersive experience."

Another highlight of the expo is the ACMECS Responsible Tourism Forum on September 7.

The forum aims to further promote the development of ACMECS, a cooperation framework among Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam, as well as to confirm the role, status and accountability of the tourism industry to the environment, community, society and the region.

The event will be attended by the tourism ministers of the ACMECS countries as well as other ASEAN countries and officials from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and the Pacific Asia Travel Association.

ITE HCM City will be held from September 8 to 10 at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Centre.

It is organised by the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism in co-ordination with HCM City Department of Tourism, Vietnam Trade Fair & Advertising Company and Informa Exhibitions. —VNS