At the working session with the Pacific Asia Travel Association, Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai, Deputy Director General of the Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism, provided information on ITE HCMC 2026, which is scheduled to take place from August 27 to 29 this year.

The Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism respectfully invited senior leaders of the Pacific Asia Travel Association to attend and share the organisation’s initiatives and experiences at the Tourism Ministers’ Conference within the frameworks of Cambodia-Laos-Viet Nam cooperation, Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Viet Nam cooperation, and the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy.

Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai, Deputy Director General of the Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism, proposed that the Pacific Asia Travel Association support the promotion of ITE HCMC 2026 on its official platforms. At the same time, the association was requested to support the distribution of electronic invitations to international partners, especially buyers from key markets such as China, India and the United States.

PATA Chief Executive Officer Noor Ahmad Hamid expressed agreement and stated that the organisation was ready to coordinate in implementing the above activities.

“PATA is prepared to introduce experts with strengths in sustainable tourism and the application of artificial intelligence in tourism to support Viet Nam’s tourism sector according to practical needs. In addition, we propose that Viet Nam study the possibility of hosting PATA Travel Mart or specialised fairs in areas of mutual interest such as MICE tourism and wellness tourism,” Noor Ahmad Hamid stated.

Welcoming the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s proposal that Viet Nam study the possibility of hosting PATA Travel Mart or specialised fairs, Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai, Deputy Director General of the Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism, said that Viet Nam would carefully study the proposal and hold further discussions with the association in the coming period.

At the meeting, the two sides also discussed promoting long-term cooperation projects in Viet Nam. The Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism proposed that PATA continue organising events and thematic programmes in Viet Nam; support invitations for international experts and speakers to participate in conferences, seminars and survey programmes. At the same time, the association was encouraged to further promote Viet Nam tourism on its media ecosystem, including its website, social media channels and global membership network.

In addition, the Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism expressed the hope that PATA would continue sharing information and research data on global and regional tourism trends. In particular, it hoped for support in enhancing the capacity of tourism sector personnel through training courses on sustainable destination management, digital transformation, market research, tourism statistics and product development.

The two sides also agreed to create more favourable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to participate in major activities organised by the Pacific Asia Travel Association, such as PATA Travel Mart, the PATA Gold Awards, as well as training programmes and specialised workshops.