Visitors at last year's International Travel Expo HCM City. — Photo An Hieu.

HCM

The three-day event will have 280 booths set up by 32 international tourism agencies, 38 local travel firms and 31 cities and provinces across the country, Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, deputy director of the city Department of Tourism, said. 

There are airlines, hotels and resorts, and tour companies from 22 countries, including Cambodia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Netherlands, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and the UAE.

Jack Wei, general manager of Informa Exhibitions, the co-organiser of ITE HCMC, told Viet Nam News.

Every year ITE HCMC brings together international and local buyers and sellers of outbound and inbound travel products, according to Jack Wei, general manager of Informa Exhibitions, the co-organiser of ITE HCMC.

Every year ITE HCMC brings together international and regional buyers to meet exhibitors for outbound and inbound businesses,

"We are hosting over 300 buyers, which is more than 40 per cent higher than last year. We have a 15 per cent increase in the number of sellers this year." 

More than 3,200 pre-scheduled appointments have been made between sellers and buyers during the two trade days, he said.

"This is our highest. 

"ITE has grown since its inaugural year. At its launch, we only had two international pavilions from Thailand and Cambodia and 65 buyers.

"Today, ITE HCMC is recognised as the most established international travel event in Viet Nam."

Lav Ahuja of Balaji Tours, Kolhapur, India, who attended at the buyer-seller meeting yesterday (September 7), told Viet Nam News: "We are going to meet seven companies from Cambodia and Viet Nam at a buyer meeting.

"We have very good expectations from the meeting. We hope to bring a group of Indian tourists to Viet Nam.

"A lot of people in Kolhapur city do not know about Viet Nam as a tourist destination and a good place to visit.

"I see there are some Indian restaurants here in HCM City. So now it is quite easy because Indian tourists need Indian food when they go to any country. 

"We plans to send a group of tourists from Kolhapur within the next two months.

"There is very good potential to bring tourists from India to Viet Nam."

Do Vu Hoang Tung, director of sales and marketing at Sea Links City Resort & Golf in the coastal city of Phan Thiet, said it is a great opportunity for buyers and sellers to meet and explore co-operation possibilities.

Local travel firms, hotels and resorts can get up-to-date on market trends and meet international and domestic partners, he said.  

Nearly 200 foreign travel company executives and tourism journalists have been invited to visit the expo.

It is on at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Centre in District 7. Three buses have been arranged to ferry members of the public from District 1 to the venue on September 10. —VNS