The 16th event of this kind sees the participation of over 80 tourism agencies and organisations, and over 1,800 international and regional exhibitors.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism has collaborated with the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore to arrange a pavilion to promote tourism in Vietnam and HCM City in particular to Singaporean businesses, contributing to expanding trade connections between the two sides.
Other Vietnamese exhibitors are units from the southern province of Binh Phuoc and the central city of Da Nang, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, Vinpearl, Viettravel, Saigon Tourist, Ben Thanh Tourist, TST Tourist, SacoTravel, Lua Viet Tours, Footsteps Indochina Travel, and Saigon Global Travel.
They are introducing diverse products of Vietnam such as healthcare tourism, culture-history tourism, Golf tourism, Bleisure and MICE tourism, study tourism, and eco-tourism at the three-day event.
According to Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Mai Phuoc Dung, the event offers a good chance for Vietnamese firms to connect and seek cooperation opportunities, as well as learn from Singapore's experience in organising regional and international events.
Deputy Director of the HCM City Department of Tourism Le Truong Hien Hoa said through the event, the city’s tourism sector hopes to attract more tourists from Southeast Asia.
Poh Chi Chuan, Executive Director of Exhibitions & Conferences at Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said after the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam is one of the tourism destinations recording high growth in the region.
Both Vietnam and Singapore have recorded a tourism rebound, and the two sides have many opportunities to foster cooperation in this area, he said.
Vietnam's rich culture, cuisine, and natural attractions make it an attractive destination for travelers around the world, he stressed.
According to the HCM City department, Singapore is one of the significant markets for Vietnamese tourism as it has consistently been among the top 10 tourist sources for Vietnam in recent years. Vietnam welcomed nearly 310,000 Singaporean tourists in 2019, and 178,861 last year.
