HCMC’s 16th International Travel Expo opens -

At the opening ceremony of the 2022 ITE – HCMC

The event is expected to build strong resilience in receiving international visitors to HCMC particularly and Vietnam in general at the end of this year.

Attending the ceremony was Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung, Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Phan Van Mai, along with representatives of countries, leaders of provinces and cities, departments, organizations and businesses.

25 countries and territories worldwide join the expo

The event attracts a large number of visitors.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Phan Van Mai emphasized that tourism has become as become an important economic with a global influence affecting the socio-economic development of nations around the world.

According to the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC), in 2019, in 2019, the tourism and travel sector contributed 10.4 percent to global GDP and created more than 330 million jobs. 2022 is poised for a strong recovery if countries have been successful in controlling Covid effectively. The sector could recover more than 58 million jobs and generate US$8.6 trillion which would boost economic recovery around the world, the WTTC said.

Along with the growth momentum of world tourism, after bringing the Covid-19 pandemic under control, Vietnam officially reopened tourism activities in the context of safe, flexible adaptation to and effective control of the Covid-19 pandemic starting March 15 and has achieved impressive growth with more than 81 million domestic and international visitors in the first eight months. In HCMC alone, the number of local and foreign tourists was 18.15 million in the first eight months. Of this number, the domestic visitors increased by 216 percent compared to the same period last year and reached a revenue of VND74,000 billion (US$3.1 billion).

The 2022 ITE – HCMC is one of the important solutions for boosting the growth of international tourists and visitors traveling between countries.

The expo attracts more than 1,500 delegates from 45 provinces and cities throughout the country, and 25 countries and territories worldwide, including management units, leading tourism experts, travel firms, airlines and hotels. It is expected to make contributions to developing in-depth tourism; improving the quality of services and experience value; recovering rapid and sustainable tourism; strengthening solidarity, friendly cooperation and cultural exchange; and stabilizing peace and prosperity, Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Phan Van Mai stressed.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung affirmed that the 2022 ITE – HCMC is an opportunity for localities and travel firms to introduce and promote their images, cultural values, natural resources and special tourist products to visitors as well as contribute to improving the competitiveness of Vietnamese tourism in the world tourism map.

Vietnam has great potential for attracting international tourists

This year’s event is expected to offer more than 6,000 business meetings and appointments between sellers and buyers.

Mr. Alexander Rayner, Director for Government and Destinations Relations Amadeus said that Vietnam has great potential for attracting international tourists, especially MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) visitors. In 2019, there were around 5.9 billion searches for tourist information about Vietnam, including hotels, destinations in Hanoi, HCMC, Da Nang, Phu Quoc and among. However, the research showed that the number of searches decreased by 23 percent compared to 2019.

He suggested that Vietnam must get a data link strategy to know customers’ needs and use Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications effectively and fluently.

Vietnam’s tourism industry needs to focus on enhancing programs and activities promoting products and the country’s tourism brands in potential foreign markets, such as the US, India, Australia, ASEAN countries, and Middle Eastern countries, Vo Anh Tai, Vice General Director of Saigontourist Group said.

The 2022 ITE – HCMC is an opportunity for localities and travel firms to introduce and promote their images, cultural values, natural resources and special tourist products to visitors.

The ITE HCMC is the only international tourism event in Vietnam that has foreign buyers, bringing business opportunities for enterprises to expand their markets and look for partners. This year’s event is expected to offer more than 6,000 business meetings and appointments between sellers and buyers.

Vu Duc Dam suggested that provinces and cities in the country need to provide supporting packages for employees, small and household businesses in the tourism sector, issue sustainable development policies, encourage tourism enterprises to participate in human resource training, develop green tourism and production, and digitalize tourist products.

By Thi Hong – Translated by Kim Khanh