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ITE HCMC 2026 – 20:20 vision
On the 20th anniversary of its first travel trade expo EW’ s Simon George finds government buy-in and MICE ambition coalescing nicely at ITE HCMC 2026 in Vietnam.
o Chi Minh City pulsates
H with life. Arrive in late summer and you’ ll find the country’ s main commercial hub especially busy. Head south to District 7 and you’ ll find the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center( SECC) no less busy as this year it opened its doors to the 20th International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City( ITE HCMC 2026), 27-29 August 2026, under the theme‘ Vibrant Connections – Global Destinations’. ITE HCMC’ s stated aim is to develop tourism and trade between Vietnam and the rest of the world and has been getting busier each year. 2026 marks a landmark anniversary, testament to the government’ s investment in tourism and Vietnam’ s and Ho Chi Minh City’ s growing appeal as a MICE destination.
Exponential growth To highlight the sheer pace of growth since its inception in 2005, from 2005 to 2010 ITE HCMC brought in some 210 exhibitors and brands, 120 international buyers from 18 countries and territories, and more than 3,200 B2B appointments. This year brought in 260 international buyers and over 21,000 B2B appointments scheduled.
Addressing ITE HCMC 2026’ s opening ceremony, Mr Nguyen Loc Ha, vice-chairman of Ho Chi
Minh City People’ s Committee, highlighted the importance of this year’ s anniversary:“ Twenty years is a milestone worthy of recognition, but it also sets a clear expectation for a new chapter of development. Ho Chi Minh City hopes that ITE HCMC will not only continue to grow in scale but, more importantly, further enhance the quality of connections, effective co-operation and the value it delivers to participating partners. We look towards a more interconnected tourism ecosystem, stronger competitiveness and deeper international integration – contributing to positioning Vietnam as an increasingly attractive, responsible destination, with a stronger standing in the global tourism market.”
Left: Vibrant Connections being made at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center
MICE – a conduit for growth ITE HCMC is a key barometer of Vietnam’ s economic progress, fundamental to which is a MICE market currently valued at $ 7.7bn and projected to be worth $ 10.3bn in 2031, according to Mordor Intelligence. As Lam Thi Phuong Thanh, Vietnam’ s minister of culture, sports and tourism, noted in a high-level MICE forum at the expo:“ MICE not only generates tourism revenue, but creates opportunities, strengthens connections and contributes to the positioning www. exhibitionworld. co. uk Issue 5 2026 27