Nearly 48,000 participants attended the 20th edition of ITE HCMC 2026, held over three days from August 27 to 29 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in Ho Chi Minh City. The event was the largest in its history, attracting a record number of visitors and industry players.
The expo featured over 520 exhibitors across 410 booths and facilitated more than 21,000 business-to-business meetings between international buyers and exhibitors. The event welcomed 309 senior international buyers, media representatives, content creators, and media partners from 32 countries and territories. Over 50 multinational companies and global MICE organisations participated.
Key international
travel groups attending included TUI Group, Flight Centre Travel Group, Intrepid Travel, JTB, and Thomas Cook India. Several globally recognised brands such as TUI Group, Bunnik Tours, IFC, GetYourGuide, Trip.com, and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises made their debut at this edition. Exhibitors represented destinations spanning Portugal, Bhutan, Cambodia, the UAE, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, Japan, Thailand, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, and Italy. Within Vietnam, 34 provinces and cities were involved, with 26 setting up exhibition booths.
Simultaneous Mekong Sub-Region Tourism Ministerial Meetings
For the first time, three Mekong sub-region tourism ministerial meetings were held concurrently in Ho Chi Minh City. The Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Tourism Ministers’ Meeting
convened on August 26, focusing on tourism product development and market connectivity. On August 27, the seventh ACMECS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting and the eighth CLMV Tourism Ministers’ Meeting addressed destination connectivity, sustainable tourism, and regional cooperation. These gatherings produced joint documents, strategic directions, and action frameworks to guide future collaboration.
Bilateral Meetings with International Organisations
During ITE HCMC 2026, Vietnamese city and tourism officials held bilateral talks with Cambodia’s tourism minister and representatives of the International Congress and Convention Association, Pacific Asia Travel Association, Global Sustainable Tourism Council, and Qingdao Airlines, promoting partnerships in tourism development.
Conferences, Forums, and Industry Debates
The event hosted 15 forums, conferences, and specialist seminars
featuring 26 international and 25 Vietnamese speakers. These sessions drew over 1,100 physical attendees and 8,500 online viewers. A high-level MICE tourism forum attracted more than 400 delegates to discuss sustainability, technology, policy, and public-private partnerships. Other topics included artificial intelligence applications, medical tourism, destination branding, sustainable tourism products, and international market connectivity.
Startup Innovation and Specialized Sessions
ITE HCMC 2026 expanded its startup component with 14 startups—six from Vietnam and eight from South Korea—participating in the Global Tourism Innovation Startup Investment and Connection Day. These startups focused on artificial intelligence and tourism technology sectors. Additional sessions covered Chinese traveller trends in Vietnam via Xiaohongshu
and destination events spotlighting Hai Phong and Thai Nguyen.
International buyers, media representatives, and delegates joined 16 familiarisation and press itineraries with more than 400 participants. The itineraries showcased Ho Chi Minh City’s attractions, cultural performances, culinary offerings, and heritage experiences. Programs outside the city included resorts, golf, and green tourism products targeting markets such as the United States, Russia, the UAE, China, Taiwan, and Malaysia.
A new heritage and ecological itinerary linked Ho Chi Minh City with Vinh Long in the Mekong Delta, highlighting local and Khmer cultural heritage through immersive experiences.
The next edition of ITE HCMC is
scheduled for September 2027.
