The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (HCMDC) and the municipal Tourism Association on Dec. 21 held a welcoming ceremony for the three millionth foreign tourist to the city this year.

At the ceremony, Nguyen Thi Hong, deputy chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee, welcomed Nina Fedorava, the lucky visitor from Russia to the city.

According to La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the department, Ho Chi Minh City is expected to welcome 3.1 million foreign arrivals this year, a year-on-year increase of 20 percent.

To reach that target, the city is making efforts in diversifying tourism products to attract more foreign tourists to the city./.