Fly away: One of 120 Vietnamese booths showcases different airlines.

QUẢNG NINH — The Travel Exchange (TRAVEX) fair, a platform facilitating the trade of regional and individual tourism products from ASEAN member countries is under way, opening up various business opportunities for ASEAN members.  

The three-day event, held in the framework of the ASEN Tourism Forum 2019 in Hạ Long City, Quảng Ninh Province, also aims to showcase the cultural and tourism potential of the ASEAN member states.

The event is hosting more than 340 booths, of which around 120 are from 70 Vietnamese businesses.

Each booth showcases the diverse tourism products and cultural features on offer from the 10 ASEAN countries. Each member has its own motto to promote its particular tourism – Việt Nam with ‘Timeless Charm’, the Philippines with ‘It’s more fun in the Philippines’, Thailand with ‘Land of smiles’, Malaysia with ‘Truly Asia’, Brunei with ‘Abode of Peace’, Indonesia with ‘Wonderful Indonesia’, Singapore ‘Passion Made Possible’, Myanmar with ‘Be Enchanted’, Cambodia with ‘Kingdom of Wonder, Feel the Warmth’ and Laos with ‘Simply Beautiful’.

Tourism products: An one-on-one business appointment at Cambodia’s booth.

It is estimated that around 10,000 one-to-one business appointments between suppliers of ASEAN tourism products and services and international buyers will take place on-site during the event, ensuring ATF TRAVEX continues to place priority on business generation.

ATF TRAVEX is an annual leisure and travel trade event that offers the largest showcase of ASEAN destination products and services.  

ASEAN destinations have drawn the interest of global buyers from countries including Australia, the UK, France, Germany, Korea, China, Poland and Russia.

Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyễn Ngọc Thiện said he hoped Việt Nam and ASEAN will work together to promote the potential of ASEAN tourism to international friends while he was visiting the event on Wednesday afternoon.

Plenty of choice: TRAVEX is a platform for tourism firms to find regional and international buyers. — VNS Photos Hồng Vân

Iain Bitran, executive director of the International Society for Professional Innovation Management from the UK said “We do a conference every year in Asia Pacific and for me, coming to an event like this gives me the chance to find out about all the different destinations, particularly ASEAN and the opportunities for my association. I found it invaluable to come to this event.”

“Asia is very much an innovative part of the world so for us to come to Asia makes a lot of sense. We always look to discover new countries and there are many up-and-coming countries in Asia, ASEAN, and in particular Việt Nam. For me, bringing an event to Việt Nam would be an interest in the next 2 or 3 years,” Bitran said.

Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, deputy governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand’s International Marketing said “ASEAN has immense potential. So joining this ATF in Hạ Long Bay gives firms more opportunities to expand their market, and help people know more about the products and services of our sellers.”

Futuristic: A visitor experiences Virtual Reality technology at a Vietnamese booth.

Talking about tourism in Thailand, he added, “I like to think Thailand is the land of smiles. It’s hard to have one definition or description. Thailand has always been well known as a friendly country. I think it’s the same as any other ASEAN country. Like Việt Nam, we are a very friendly people. So when we greet visitors, we greet them with a smile.

“Some people may like our natural attractions: beaches, waterfalls, mountains. Some people may like our historical sites, we have many world heritage sites. Some might like culture, temples, festivals. A lot of people also like our food. Thai food is world famous. But I think our most important attraction is people,” he said. — VNS