ITE HCMC: The Mekong’s Largest Tourism Exhibition Gears Up for a Landmark 20th Edition in 2026

Every August, the doors of the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City open to welcome an event that has, over two decades, become the single most important date on Vietnam’s tourism trade calendar: the Ho Chi Minh City International Travel Expo (ITE HCMC). As the only dedicated international travel trade show held in Vietnam and the largest tourism exhibition in the Greater Mekong Subregion, ITE HCMC has grown from a modest regional showcase into a full-scale B2B trade platform, policy forum, and destination-marketing engine that draws exhibitors, hosted buyers, media, and high-level delegations from across the globe.

With the 20th edition, ITE HCMC 2026 scheduled for August 27–29, 2026 at SECC, this is a fitting moment to look back at the fair’s trajectory of growth and to explain, in concrete terms, why travel trade professionals, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), tour operators, and hospitality brands should be securing their place on the show floor this year.

1. A Trade Show Two Decades in the Making

Launched in 2007, ITE HCMC was conceived to give Ho Chi Minh City, and Vietnam as a whole, a genuine inbound and outbound tourism gateway: a single venue where destination management companies (DMCs), national tourism organizations (NTOs), hoteliers, airlines, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) operators, and travel technology providers could conduct structured business-to-business (B2B) matchmaking with vetted international hosted buyers.

Nearly two decades on, that founding mission has scaled dramatically. ITE HCMC is co-organized by the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT), the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, and C.I.S Vietnam Advertising & Exhibition JSC, giving the fair both strong government backing and professional exhibition-industry execution, a combination that has helped it earn recognition as Asia’s Best Trade Show at the World MICE Awards in both 2024 and 2025.

2. Year-on-Year Growth: The Numbers Tell the Story

Trade shows are ultimately judged by the depth of their exhibitor base, the quality of their hosted-buyer program, and the volume of qualified business generated on the show floor. On every one of these metrics, ITE HCMC has posted consistent, and in some years explosive, growth.

• Exhibitor scale: ITE HCMC 2025 hosted over 500 exhibiting units and brands spread across 402 booths, a 25% jump in booth count versus the previous year — evidence of both returning exhibitors expanding their footprint and new entrants joining the floor. All 34 provinces and cities of Vietnam were represented, with 28 operating dedicated exhibition booths, giving international buyers unmatched breadth of access to Vietnamese destinations, hotels, and tour products in a single location.
• Hosted buyer program: The 256 international buyers who attended ITE HCMC 2025 came from 32 countries and territories, including delegations from more than 30 leading global travel corporations spanning Oceania, Europe, the Americas, and Asia — a testament to the fair’s increasingly senior, high-purchasing-power buyer profile.
• Visitor traffic: Total visitor numbers reached 46,100 in 2025 — up 77.3% year-on-year — split between 35,550 trade/business visitors and 10,555 members of the public, reflecting both the fair’s B2B depth and its growing appeal as a consumer travel showcase during its public-opening days.
• Deal flow: The true measure of any trade show is business conversion, and here ITE HCMC delivers: 20,050 B2B meetings were logged between international buyers and exhibitors in 2025, a 75% increase over the prior year, with close to half resulting in signed agreements or contracts on the spot.
• Media reach and digital amplification: ITE HCMC 2025 generated more than 3,900 news articles and images across domestic and international media (up 44.4% YoY) and over 400 digital posts and video clips, together driving more than 3.1 million online engagements — a 158.3% increase versus 2024, underscoring the fair’s growing footprint in global travel-trade media.

3. Not Just an Exhibition — A Full Tourism-Economic Ecosystem

What sets ITE HCMC apart from a conventional trade fair is the density of high-level programming built around the exhibition floor:

• High-Level Tourism Forums: In 2025, the flagship forum “Shaping the Future of Tourism: Towards Digital and Green Transformation” drew more than 300 delegates to discuss digitalization, sustainability, and destination competitiveness — themes that will again anchor the professional program in 2026.
• Ministerial and Mayoral Delegations: ITE HCMC 2025 welcomed 41 high-level delegations — including ministers, mayors, and city leaders — alongside representatives from 15 diplomatic missions in Ho Chi Minh City, a 412.5% increase in senior delegations compared with 2024.
• TPO General Assembly: For the first time, Vietnam hosted the General Assembly of the Global City Tourism Promotion Organization (TPO) alongside ITE HCMC 2025, elevating the event’s diplomatic and city-marketing significance and earning Ho Chi Minh City tourism the TPO Best Tourism Marketing Award 2025.
• International Tourism–Economic Week: ITE HCMC 2025 was staged in tandem with three other major international events — the TPO General Assembly, Vietnam International Sourcing 2025, and the Ho Chi Minh City Export Forum — creating a cross-sector platform linking tourism, trade, logistics, and export promotion, and opening new growth avenues in MICE tourism and supply-chain-linked business travel.
• Famtrips, Presstrips & Public Program: Structured familiarization trips and press trips give international buyers and media hands-on exposure to Vietnamese destinations, while the public-facing days (traditionally the final leg of the show) let domestic travelers book real holiday packages directly from exhibitors — several booths reported selling out their tour inventory on-site.

4. Why ITE HCMC Holds a Unique Position in the Regional Travel Trade Calendar

For international buyers, exhibitors, and destination marketers evaluating where to invest limited trade-show budgets, ITE HCMC offers a combination of attributes that few other events in Southeast Asia can match:

• The only event of its kind in Vietnam. ITE HCMC is Vietnam’s sole nationally and internationally recognized B2B international travel trade exhibition, giving it unrivaled convening power to bring all 34 Vietnamese provinces and cities under one roof alongside global buyers.
• The largest travel trade event in the Mekong Subregion. Positioned at the crossroads of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing tourism markets, ITE HCMC functions as a regional gateway — a single point of access for buyers seeking to source Mekong-region travel products (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand) without multiple market visits.
• Government-backed, industry-run. Co-organization by VNAT and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism ensures policy alignment and access to senior officials, while professional exhibition operator C.I.S Vietnam ensures world-class execution — a combination validated by consecutive Asia’s Best Trade Show honors at the World MICE Awards (2024, 2025).
• A verified, high-quality hosted buyer program. Buyers are vetted and hosted, meaning exhibitors meet decision-makers with genuine purchasing authority rather than casual visitors — a key reason the show’s B2B meeting-to-contract conversion rate approached 50% in 2025.
• A rare blend of trade and destination marketing. Beyond the exhibition floor, ITE HCMC bundles high-level forums, ministerial dialogue, famtrips, and public consumer days into a single event window, maximizing exposure across trade, government, media, and consumer audiences simultaneously.

5. ITE HCMC 2026 — “Vibrant Connectivity, Global Destination”

The upcoming 20th edition of ITE HCMC, running August 27–29, 2026 at SECC, arrives as a milestone anniversary and is being positioned by organizers as a launchpad for the next phase of Vietnam’s tourism growth story. Under the theme “Vibrant Connectivity – Global Destination,” ITE HCMC 2026 is expected to:

• Welcome over 500–520 exhibiting companies and brands, including strong participation from Vietnamese provinces and cities alongside international exhibitors;
• Host more than 260 high-level international buyers from over 40 countries and territories;
• Draw an estimated 28,000–30,000+ visitors across trade and public days over the three-day run;
• Feature an expanded program of high-level tourism forums, international conferences, destination familiarization tours, the signature “Vietnam Night” opening ceremony, and a friendship parade on Nguyễn Huệ Street in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City;
• Place particular emphasis on the tourism trends shaping the industry’s next decade: MICE tourism, digital transformation and AI adoption, green and sustainable tourism, smart destination management, resilient tourism infrastructure, and the circular economy.

Organizers frame the milestone 20th edition explicitly around scale and ambition, describing ITE HCMC 2026 as an event aiming to cement its stature not only as Vietnam’s leading international tourism event but as one of the premier travel trade shows in Asia — building on 19 consecutive successful editions and the fair’s established reputation as the Mekong’s Largest Travel Event.

6. An Vui Travel will be at ITE HCMC 2026

We are delighted to be present at ITE HCMC 2026 for all three days, and we’d love to meet you there!

• Our Booth: Proudly accompanying the Hanoi Tourism Promotion Center, An Vui Travel is located at Booth #36.
• Meet the Team: When you visit us, you’ll get to meet our core leadership team: Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jerry Nguyen, and Tour Operations Manager, Ms. Alice Tran. Jerry brings well over 15 years of hands-on experience in Southeast Asian tourism. Together with Alice, they lead the team that designs and operates every itinerary An Vui Travel delivers across Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand.
• Why Visit Us: Coming to our booth isn’t just about exploring new partnership opportunities—though we’re always excited to connect with travel agents and tour operators from around the world. We’re also here to share the latest travel trends shaping Vietnam and the region, from shifting traveler preferences to emerging destinations. If you run a travel agency, we’ll walk you through our programs in detail and help you curate the best offerings for your clients.

If you’re planning to be at SECC this August, don’t forget: An Vui Travel will be waiting for you at Booth #36, alongside the Hanoi Tourism Promotion Center. Book your appointment with us in advance, and let’s talk about what we can build together.

References

1. Tuoitre: Hội chợ Du lịch Quốc tế TP.HCM 2024
2. ITE HCMC Official Portal: Hơn 300 đơn vị triển lãm & 38 tỉnh thành xác nhận tham dự ITE HCMC 2024
3. Baomoi: Hội chợ Du lịch Quốc tế TP.HCM ITE HCMC 2026 – Sức hút ngày càng lớn
4. Phunuonline / Tuoitre: Hội chợ Du lịch Quốc tế TP.HCM thu hút 22.000 lượt khách
5. ITE HCMC Results: ITE HCMC Outstanding Results
6. SECC Download: ITE HCMC 2023 Show Report (PDF)
7. ITE HCMC Report: Show Report ITE HCMC 2024 ENG (PDF)
8. Lehoivietnam: ITE HCMC 2026 Event Details
9. Vietnam Tourism Authority: ITE HCMC 2026 Overview

🔗 Let’s connect and grow together! Visit us at

Headquarter / Sales Hub: 5th Floor, H&N Building, 329-331 Hoang Quoc Viet Street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Oficinas de operaciones: Vietnam (Hanoi, Danang, Ho Chi Minh), Laos (Vientiane), Cambodia (Siem Reap), Myanmar (Yangon), Thailand (Bangkok)

Email: info@anvuitravel.com

Cellphone No. (Hotline): +84 912 683 908 (Whatsapp, Telegram, Viber)

Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/anvuitravel84/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@anvuitravel

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anvuitravel/

Linkin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/anvui-travel/about/?viewAsMember=true

Web: https://anvuitravel.com

✨ Together, let’s make travel extraordinary! ✈️

#ITEHCMC2026 #AnVuiTravel #DMC #TravelExpo #VietnamTourism #DulichDongNamA