ITE Ho Chi Minh City 2026, held from 27 to 29 August at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center, attracted 47,960 visitors and participants in its 20th edition, marking the largest attendance in the expo’s history. The three-day event featured over 520 exhibitors displayed across 410 booths and facilitated more than 21,000 business-to-business meetings between international buyers and exhibitors, according to Focus on Travel News.
International and Local Exhibitor Participation
The event welcomed 309 international senior buyers, media representatives, content creators, and media partners from 32 countries and territories. More than 50 multinational companies and global MICE organizations participated in the expo. Major international travel
groups making their first appearance included TUI Group alongside Flight Centre Travel Group, Intrepid Travel, JTB, Thomas Cook India, Bunnik Tours, IFC, GetYourGuide, Trip.com, and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises.
Exhibitors showcased destinations such as Portugal, Bhutan, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, Japan, Thailand, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, and Italy. Within Vietnam, 34 provinces and cities participated, with 26 of them operating their own exhibition booths.
Concurrent Mekong Sub-Region Tourism Ministerial Meetings
For the first time, ITE Ho Chi Minh City coincided with three Mekong sub-region tourism ministerial meetings held in Ho Chi Minh City. The Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Tourism Ministers’ Meeting took place
on 26 August, focusing on tourism product development and market connectivity. On 27 August, the seventh ACMECS and eighth CLMV Tourism Ministers’ Meetings addressed destination connectivity, sustainable tourism, and regional cooperation.
The ministerial gatherings produced joint documents, strategies, and action frameworks enhancing regional tourism collaboration. Bilateral meetings during ITE involved officials including Cambodia’s tourism minister and representatives from the International Congress and Convention Association, Pacific Asia Travel Association, Global Sustainable Tourism Council, and Qingdao Airlines.
Forums, Seminars, and Thematic Coverage
ITE HCMC programmed 15 forums, conferences, and specialist seminars featuring 26 international speakers and 25 Vietnamese experts. Over 1,100 attendees joined in person while 8,500
viewers participated online. A high-level MICE tourism forum gathered more than 400 delegates to discuss topics such as sustainability, technology, policy, and public-private partnerships.
Additional sessions covered artificial intelligence applications in tourism, medical tourism development, destination branding, sustainable tourism products, and connectivity to international markets.
Startup Innovation and Familiarisation Itineraries
The event expanded its startup component through the Global Tourism Innovation Startup Investment and Connection Day, which featured 14 startups—six from Vietnam and eight from South Korea—focused on AI and tourism technology. Sixteen familiarisation and press itineraries engaged over 400 participants, highlighting Ho Chi Minh City attractions, cultural performances, local cuisine, heritage experiences, resorts, golf,
and green tourism products.
The itineraries targeted key source markets including the United States, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, China, Taiwan, and Malaysia. A newly introduced heritage and ecological itinerary linked Ho Chi Minh City with Vinh Long in the Mekong Delta, combining local experiences with Khmer cultural heritage.
The next edition of ITE Ho Chi Minh City is planned for September 2027.
