The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has recognized the annual International Travel Expo HCMC, or ITE HCMC, as a national travel event to attract international buyers to the country.
La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of HCMC's Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism as the fair's organizer, confirmed that his department had received a decision to this effect from the national tourism authority.
"In the document, VNAT said that from this year the national tourism authority will not organize any international fair in the country to gather its strength for organizing ITE HCMC as a national event," he said.
Since this fair, VNAT will join forces with the organizer to hold the fair in HCMC, and will also contribute a budget to carry out promotion activities during the fair, Khanh said.
"The first activity is that VNAT will handle familiarization trips for two groups of international buyers and media in the fair," Khanh told the Daily.
In 2009, the country's tourism authority will organize another international travel fair named TRAVEX, one of the events of the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2009. However, the annual event is being organized by each of ASEAN countries so the authority doesn't see it as an annual national tourism fair.
The fourth edition of ITE HCMC is scheduled to take place in Phu Tho Exhibition Center in District 11 from September 12 to 14, co-organized by the city's department and Binet & IIR Exhibitions Pte Ltd.
The fair will feature a tourism exhibition, meetings between travel buyers and sellers, free-show tours and seminars. HCMC will also host an ASEM (the Asia-Europe Meeting) Tourism Meeting two days before the opening of the fair.
Also included in the program is the ITE Friendship Golf Tournament for fair participants, foreign buyers, and local sellers.
Khanh said that this year the organizer would arrange familiarizations trips for foreign guests to explore tourist attractions and services in HCMC, the Mekong Delta, the central and the northern regions, as well as make connections to Cambodia.
The city government has decided to spend over VND900 million for the organizer to host promotion activities, while a big part of budget for these activities will come from sponsors such as Airlines hotels, and travel companies.
"Eleven international airlines have pledged to help us to invite foreign travel buyers to come. Other hotels, tour operators, and tourism service providers have agreed to join hands to serve guests," Khanh said.
The third annual fair last year attracted 180 local and foreign exhibitors and 101 foreign buyers. The organizer will be inviting around 150 foreign buyers to join the event this year.
(Source: SGT)
Tag: Airlines , Asia , Culture , Exhibition , Hcm , Hotel , International , Mekong Delta , Phu Tho , Tour , Tourism , Tourist , Travel , Vietnam VNAT recognizes ITE as national travel fair
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