(VNF) - The 2018 Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) officially opened in Hanoi on March 29^th, attracting the participation of over 670 tour operators, hotels, tourism service providers and tourism promotion agencies.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam attended and cut the ribbon to open the event.

With the theme "Online Tourism, Vietnam’s Tourism Advances in Industry 4.0", it aims to encourage and support travel enterprises to access opportunities in the digital era by applying modern technology in selling their products, thus promoting their capacity to attract and serve customers online.

Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam speaking at the event. (Photo: VGP)

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy PM Dam affirmed that, over the past few years, the Vietnamese tourism sector has maintained impressive growth.

The Deputy PM appreciated the support from international friends towards the country’s development as well as highly valuing the contributions made by domestic businesses and associations to the development of the tourism sector.

He also called for the application of scientific and technological advances in tourism activities.

Online tourism is a trend in the development of science and technology and the tourism sector worldwide and technology must be introduced as quickly as possible, providing tourists with more options, Vu The Binh, Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA), told the opening ceremony. This year’s VITM brings opportunities for technology enterprises to introduce their products for tourism. “The organisers expect to prove that tourism is one of the pioneers in approaching technology,” he said.

Online tourism will increase significantly in 2025, equal to the amount on retail tours, according to Nguyen Thanh Hung, Chairman of the Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM). He stressed that mobile technologies play an important role in promoting and consuming tourism products.

An exclusive exhibition area has been set up by online travel businesses as well as agencies providing technological solutions for tourism. The VITM will also feature workshops in which both domestic and foreign experts will share their experience in the development of online tourism in several IT and travel businesses, including mobile internet, smart apps, big data and automation.

There are some 500 pavilions with nearly 700 enterprises from 45 cities and provinces around Vietnam and 21 countries and territories, introducing and offering products, including more than 40,000 discounted air tickets and 15,000 discounted package tours. Some agencies also launched programs for “hunting” zero-cost tours, with 1,000 inbound and outbound tickets and cards for using their services, with savings of up to 30 per cent compared to the regular price.

The four-day event will also feature a number of conferences, seminars and forums creating opportunities for tourism enterprises and experts to share and propose solutions to the issues related to policies and their operations.

In addition to seminars and conferences, an International Street Food Festival will be one of the highlights of the VITM, introducing street food from Vietnam and other countries in the region. A ceremony will also be held to honor Vietnamese culinary artisans and chefs.

The mart attracts a large number of visitors. (Photo: Internet)

The event will last until April 1^st at the Friendship Cultural Palace, 91 Tran Hung Dao Street in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem district.

VITM is the leading travel fair in Vietnam and one of the key travel shows in the region. Held once a year in Hanoi, its prime aim is to boost all three travel pillars: outbound, inbound and domestic. VITM is an excellent platform for national tourism organisations and tourism-related businesses to promote, network, and increase awareness about destinations and brand names. Participating in VITM creates an unparalleled chance to engage and expand business, especially for the outbound travel segment./.

VNF