Tourism expo to boost Mekong River travel

“The first Tourism Ministers Conference of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam will take place at the Majestic Hotel on September 14 as part of the expo,” Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) head Nguyen Van Tuan said.

The conference aimed to promote tourism development programmes in line with the Tourism Ministerial Informal Agreement the four Mekong countries reached last year, he said.

On September 12, the four countries’ Senior Officers Meeting will take place at the same hotel to prepare for the action programme over the next two years.

Tuan said another key feature in the travel expo was the Tourism City Mayors’ Conference, which would announce the cooperation of the four nations and Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) in developing tourism in Ho Chi Minh City, Cambodia’s Phnom Penh, Vientiane of Laos, Yangon of Myanmar and Bangkok.

The expo was expected a solid turnout of 362 companies from almost 50 countries as international buyers. They come from major markets such as Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, North America, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, together with a strong representation from Southeast Asia, said La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

He said there were already almost 3,100 appointments between buyers and sellers in the pre-appointment system.

The show will take place at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre with around 30 countries participating.

The theme “Four Countries-One Destination” continues for the second year running. However, this year more emphasis would be placed on positioning Vietnam as a gateway with a focus on both inbound and outbound tourism to the Mekong region, according to Khanh.

The four will launch their own single-visa scheme for foreign travellers in the future.

Khanh said the international expo was supported by Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism, Laos’ Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, and the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism of Myanmar.