ITE Ho Chi Minh City 2026 attracted 47,960 visitors and participants to the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from August 27 to 29. The event marked its 20th edition and became the largest in its history.
More than 520 exhibitors displayed products across 410 booths. Organisers recorded over 21,000 business-to-business meetings between exhibitors and international buyers. The expo hosted 309 senior buyers, media representatives, content creators, and media partners from 32 countries and territories.
International travel companies attending included TUI Group, Flight Centre Travel Group, Intrepid Travel, JTB, and Thomas Cook India. TUI Group,
Bunnik Tours, IFC, GetYourGuide, Trip.com, and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises made their first appearances at the event.
Exhibitors represented destinations ranging from Portugal, Bhutan, Cambodia, UAE, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Japan, Thailand, Switzerland, Sri Lanka to Italy. Within Vietnam, 34 provinces and cities participated, with 26 operating exhibition booths.
Simultaneous Mekong Sub-Region Ministerial Meetings
The expo coincided with three Mekong sub-region tourism ministerial meetings, held concurrently in Ho Chi Minh City for the first time. The Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Tourism Ministers’ Meeting convened on August 26, focusing on tourism product development and market connectivity. The seventh ACMECS and eighth CLMV Tourism Ministers’ Meetings took place on
August 27, addressing destination connectivity, sustainable tourism, and future regional cooperation.
These ministerial gatherings resulted in joint documents, strategic directions, and action frameworks covering cooperation areas. Bilateral meetings during the expo involved Cambodia’s tourism minister and representatives from the International Congress and Convention Association, the Pacific Asia Travel Association, Global Sustainable Tourism Council, and Qingdao Airlines.
Conferences, Forums, and Startup Innovation
ITE HCMC 2026 hosted 15 forums, conferences, and specialist seminars, featuring 26 international and 25 Vietnamese speakers. The programme attracted more than 1,100 in-person attendees and 8,500 online viewers. A high-level MICE tourism forum gathered over 400 delegates to discuss sustainability, technology, policy, and
public-private partnerships.
Additional sessions covered artificial intelligence, medical tourism, destination branding, sustainable tourism products, and international market connectivity. The event expanded its startup segment, featuring six Vietnamese and eight South Korean startups in the Global Tourism Innovation Startup Investment and Connection Day, focusing on AI and tourism technologies.
Familiarisation Itineraries and Market Outreach
Sixteen familiarisation and press itineraries engaged more than 400 international buyers, media representatives, and delegates. These tours showcased Ho Chi Minh City’s attractions, cultural performances, cuisine, heritage, resorts, golf, and green tourism. Markets targeted included the United States, Russia, UAE, 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 and Khmer cultural heritage.
ITE Ho Chi Minh City 2027 is scheduled for September 2027.
