Foreign visitors tour HCM City by "xich lo" (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – International arrivals to Ho Chi Minh City numbered over 3.61 million in the first nine months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 13 percent.
Revenue from tourism in the period hit over 73 trillion VND (3.28 billion USD), up 5.6 percent against the same period in 2015.
According to the municipal Department of Tourism, the number of visitors from China, the Republic of Korea, the US and Japan surged while Russian tourists fell by 31.7 percent.
Five Western European nations including the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Belarus, which enjoy visa exemption, saw an average increase of over 20 percent in the number of holidaymakers.
To reach these outcomes, the city stepped up existing tourism promotion programmes such as developing river-based tourism and announcing “100 interesting facts”, standardised tourism services and tips to serve tourists.
The quality of tourism events and festival was improved while communication work was also enhanced.
As of mid-September this year, 2,186 accommodation facilities had been built, offering 51,353 rooms, up over 4,000 rooms from the same period last year.
The municipal tourism sector focused on improving services quality as well as training human resources.
It will also work with relevant bodies to turn tourism into a key economic sector of the city.
HCM City strives to receive 5.1 million international visitors and 21.8 million domestic holiday-makers this year.-VNA
