NEW DELHI: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a Government of India enterprise, has been entrusted with the responsibility of organising India’s participation in the prestigious International Tourism Expo (ITE) Vietnam 2025.
This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced 2025 as the ASEAN-India Year of Tourism, marking a renewed commitment by India to strengthen its cultural, economic, and tourism ties with ASEAN countries.
This expo is being organised from 4 to 6 September this year at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The Prime Minister’s bold proclamation essentially outlines the pivotal role of tourism in improving people-to-people connectivity, fostering mutual prosperity, and strengthening the bonds of friendship between India and the ASEAN countries.
According to an official source, IRCTC is setting up an exclusive ASEAN-India Pavilion that will showcase a diverse range of tourism offerings from India. These include the country’s rich cultural heritage, spiritual and wellness packages, natural beauty, adventure activities, and premium travel products such as the world-class IRCTC luxury trains: the Maharajas’ Express, the Golden Chariot, and the Buddhist Circuit luxury AC train.
Vipra Pandey, Consulate General of India, inaugurated the ASEAN-India Pavilion in Ho Chi Minh City.
As a prelude to this new collaboration and the celebration of 2025 as the ASEAN-India Year of Tourism, IRCTC, in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), led a strong delegation of tourism stakeholders from India and ASEAN states at the PATA Travel Mart 2025 in Bangkok. This marked a new chapter in cross-cultural and tourism cooperation between India and ASEAN nations.
As an official statement noted, the ASEAN-India Pavilion located in Bangkok was opened by the Indian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand, Nagesh Singh, which further accelerated the efforts of the MEA and IRCTC in promoting Indo-ASEAN cross-cultural and tourism relationships.
Continuing this mission, a Road Show was also organised in Thailand on 28 August 2025, attended by representatives of the travel and tourism industry. The event was reportedly a major success.
The Indian delegation to ITE Vietnam is led by IRCTC and includes leading tourism General Sales Agents (GSAs), officers from state tourism boards, and representatives from ASEAN countries, encompassing both tourism trade and policy-making bodies.
This collective effort by India and ASEAN nations reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of growing together through tourism cooperation. In addition to establishing the ASEAN-India Pavilion, IRCTC has also been tasked with managing all logistics for the Indian delegation.
Moreover, IRCTC is hosting the ASEAN-India Tourism Road Show in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where a wide array of Indo-ASEAN tourism products will be showcased before an audience comprising travel trade bodies, tour operators, and key industry stakeholders.
This road show aims to facilitate direct interaction between the Indian delegation and prominent local travel agents and tour operators, encouraging collaboration and the formation of new business partnerships.
"The announcement of the ASEAN-India Year of Tourism by the Hon Prime Minister of India is a breakthrough event to endorse India as a global tourism destination among various customer segments", said an official statement of IRCTC here.
It further added, "The recent establishment of the ASEAN-India Pavilion in ITE Ho Chi Minh City has created new channels of promoting culture and tourism between India and the ASEAN countries."
"It has also acted as a catalyst to opening the gates of future growth and prosperity. Not only has this initiative enhanced regional connectivity, but it has also established relationships of mutual trust, friendship and cooperation, thus providing a platform on which tourism-based development and sustainable development can be achieved by both India and ASEAN in the future", the IRCTC added through a statement.