The 17th International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City 2023 (ITE HCMC 2023) was held on 7-9 September 2023 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC). The event, one of Vietnam’s premier tourism trade promotion activities, aims to pave the way for sustainable development in the country’s burgeoning tourism industry.

The event was attended by more than 3,500 delegates from 45 provinces and cities and representing 42 countries and territories further solidifying ITE HCMC’s position as the largest tourism fair in the Mekong region.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by esteemed guests, including Mr. Nguyen Minh Triet, Former Member of the Politburo and Former President; Mr. Truong Hoa Binh, Former Member of the Politburo and Former Permanent Deputy Prime Minister of the Government; Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhan, Former Member of the Politburo and Former Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee; Ms. Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, Former Member of the Party Central Committee and Former Vice President; Mr. Tran Hong Ha, Deputy Prime Minister; Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism; and Mr. Phan Van Mai, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Party Committee, and Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee.

ITE HCMC 2023 also had the honor of hosting dignitaries from neighboring countries, including leaders from the Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia, the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, highlighted the positive signs of recovery in Vietnam’s tourism sector. In the first eight months of 2023, Vietnam welcomed over 87 million visitors, reaching 70% of the 2019 figures, with international visitors accounting for 7.8 million—a remarkable 5.4-fold increase compared to the same period in 2022. Total tourism revenue surpassed VND 482 trillion. Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City alone saw nearly 25 million visitors during the same period, reaching 63% of the 2019 numbers, with international visitors surging by 105.2% compared to 2022 and tourism revenue exceeding VND 100,000 billion.

These achievements are a testament to the recent international collaboration on travel between countries and regions. Mr. Mai emphasized ITE HCMC’s crucial role in boosting international visitor numbers to Vietnam, fostering cross-border tourism, and optimizing tourism income through trade connections between Vietnamese tourism enterprises, Mekong delta countries’ enterprises, and businesses from traditional and potential markets worldwide.

This year’s ITE HCMC, themed “Connectivity, Growth, Sustainability,” offers a rich array of professional activities that attracted over 3,500 delegates from 44 Vietnamese provinces and 41 countries and territories. The event addresses pressing issues such as digital transformation, human resource restructuring, destination marketing, communication strategies, improving tourism service competitiveness and quality, green tourism trends, medical tourism, and sports tourism.