Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Pham Quang Nghi has said tourism is a “potential gold mine” for the capital, yet the sector’s achievements have been limited.

At a working session with the Hanoi Tourism Corporation on March 7, the official said Hanoi boasts numerous tourism advantages, such as excellent cuisine, beautiful landscapes and low spending costs, along with a number of historical relic sites and craft villages.

However, he noted that these advantages have not been fully utilised to become tourist magnets, which is attributable to a lack of renovation.

Secretary Nghi suggested the sector encourage the creativity of tourism managers and staff together with equipping them with more professional skills, adding that they should also step up the upgrading of tourism facilities and promoting Hanoi ’s images to the world.

In 2013, the city greeted 2.58 million foreign arrivals, up 22.9 percent year-on-year, generating 38.5 trillion VND (1.83 billion USD) in revenue – or 14-15 percent of its gross domestic product.

It plans to welcome 3 million foreign tourists in 2014.-VNA