The 17th International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City 2023 (ITE HCMC 2023) plays a key role in pushing an increase in international arrivals to Vietnam, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai has said.

“It helps drive tourist flows and optimizes tourism revenue through trade connections and exchanges between travel businesses in Vietnam and in countries in the Lower Mekong River Basin with businesses in traditional markets and markets of potential in the region and the world,” Mr. Mai said at the opening of ITE HCMC 2023 on September 7, adding that it also presents opportunities for mechanisms and policies facilitating the development of the tourism industry.

Running for three days, from September 7 to 9, ITE HCMC 2023 will witness the attendance of over 400 exhibiting companies and 250 high-level buyers from 42 countries and territories and expects to welcome 25,000 visitors.

In the January-August period, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed nearly 25 million tourists, equal to 63 per cent of the figure in pre-pandemic 2019, including close to 3 million foreign visitors, up 105.2 per cent year-on-year. The city’s tourism sector earned more than VND100 trillion (nearly $4.2 billion) in the period.

Vietnam as a whole welcomed over 87 million tourists in the period, including 7.8 million international visitors.