Mega Mekong expo opens Thursday

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, VINEXAD and Informa Exhibitions have teamed up to organise the 11th edition of the ITE in HCMC, a gateway to the Mekong Region and beyond.

ITE HCMC 2015 is expected to welcome 350 international and regional buyers from more than 30 countries, 20 international press publications, 350 sellers from the Asia-Pacific Region and 25,000 international and domestic visitors. 

The trade exhibition will be enhanced by the presence of exhibiting country/city pavilions, including Thailand, Berlin, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, South Korea, Turkey and Vietnam.

In 2014, ITE HCMC attracted 320 exhibitors from 21 countries and welcomed 22,000 international and domestic visitors – a 20 per cent increase from 2013 – cementing its status as one of the fastest growing international tourism trade events in the region.

Due to overwhelming response, the Pre-scheduled Appointment System (PSA) is offered free of charge to organisations attending ITE HCMC, where buyers and sellers are able to schedule and book appointments and meetings beforehand.

Together, the organising committee has put together a series of new and exciting features and programmes for the exhibition, catering to tourism industry professionals, dignitaries, ministries and the general public. 

The event highlights the Mekong Tourism Alliance Awards (MTAA). Concurrently, the 7th MTAA will give recognition to organisations that have contributed to the tourism industry. 

 

At the event

The opening ceremony will welcome ministers of the five countries in the Mekong region as well as the mayors/governors of Phnom Penh, Vientiane, Yangon and Bangkok.

The event also showcases a photo gallery titled “Beauty of Asean Community – Amazing Asean”, with pictures of major attractions and sceneries in the region, including the diversity and cultural aspects depicting the Asean community. 

Leading industry speakers will provide insights on a wide range of seminar topics and advise specific approaches to the different tourism markets globally – for instance, the ACMECS Tourism Ministers’ Conference, introduction and recommendation of CLMTV destinations, key Tourism Markets of India and Indonesia, key Tourism Markets in Europe, Vietnam Tourism Promotion Campaign 2015-2020 and annual overview of the tourism market. 

A “Travel Fun Fair Day” will be open to the public and trade visitors on the last day of the exhibition, which will showcase internationally renowned performances, lucky draw prizes and exhibitors featuring promotional travel programmes such as discounted air-tickets and tour packages.