Graham Cooke, founder and president of the World Travel Awards, told a press conference to introduce the International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City 2023 (ITE HCMC 2023) on Thursday that he was impressed by the hospitality in Ho Chi Minh City and expected the city's tourism industry to pay more attention to sustainability and uniqueness.

This was not Cooke’s first time attending a travel exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City. 

During the 16th ITE HCMC in 2022, he served as an organizer for the gala ceremony of the World Travel Awards. 

At the press briefing, Cooke shared his impressions of the city’s hospitality, as well as suggested that Ho Chi Minh City put effort into creating unique and sustainable tourism products.

Though the 17th iteration of ITE HCMC is only the second time the World Travel Awards is being held in conjunction with the exhibition, the awards ceremony was first organized in Vietnam as a stand-alone event on Phu Quoc Island off southern Kien Giang Province in 2019.

Established in 1993, the annual event recognizes and honors top performers in all areas of the global tourism industry.

Responding to Cooke’s remarks, Le Truong Hien Hoa, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that he is appreciative of the advice.

The city’s tourism identity is centered on diversification in terms of food, culture, architecture, and nature, according to Hoa.

City authorities have also recently announced plans to team up with travel firms in order to properly promote tourism products.

ITE HCMC 2023 double the size of 2022

The 17th International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City will kick off on September 7 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in District 7 and is expected to be double the size of the 16th edition.

This year’s three-day event is expected to attract over 400 local and international exhibitors and brands, as well as tourism associations and tourism research institutes.

Over 70 percent of the booths will be manned by local enterprises.

The 17th edition is projected to receive more than 200 international visitors from over 20 potential tourism source markets, up 25 percent against 2022.

The highlight of this year’s expo will be the display space of ao dai (Vietnam’s traditional costume), handicrafts, coffee, and folk art.

Guests will also be able to check out the expo through an online platform.

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