Hanoi Formula 1 race: Opportunities to help Vietnam’s tourism strive post COVID-19

Basic construction of a Pit - operating centre building of Hanoi F1 race completes in mid- Jan 2020 (Photo: Vietnamplus)

Hanoi (VNA) - In the context of Vietnam's tourism industry in general and Hanoi’s tourism industry in particular are struggling to prevent COVID-19 outbreak , the Formula 1 (F1) Racing Tournament in Hanoi is expected to become an opportunity to promotes the country’s image as a safe and attractive destination for both domestic and foreign tourists.

Seizing the huge opportunity

F1 Racing Tournament is an international sporting event which is planned to be held in Hanoi in early April 2020. Tran Duc Hai - Director of the Hanoi Tourism Department said that the city has a lot of experience in organizing big events and has well prepared for hosting this event.

Hanoi is expected to welcome a large number of international visitors during the tournament. Particularly, about 3,000 people attending the race are highly paying guests, staying at 3-5-star hotels.

Phung Quang Thang - Director of the Hanoitourist Travel Company said that this is a great opportunity for the tourism industry, because visitors who know about the race will know about the host city.  But importantly, businesses need to prepare conditions and make a difference to associate tourism with sporting events.

Suppliers need information and effective connectivity to save time and cost from the stage of promoting products and services, providing and controlling service quality. If taking advantage of these opportunities, the tourism industry will create more added values during and after the event.

However, Hanoi and the whole country are facing many difficulties caused by the COVID-19 epidemic.  According to the Hanoi Department of Tourism, it is expected that in the first two months of 2020, the number of tourists to Hanoi reached 3.56 million, down 25 percent compared to the same period last year.

Despite the obstacles, Hanoi tourism industry is still actively preparing infrastructure, services and related works to welcome visitors to this attractive sporting event.  The city considers the promotion of Vietnam's image in general and Hanoi in particular as one of its important tasks.

Ready to welcome visitors

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the Vietnam Grand Prix, the organizer of VinFast Viet Nam Grand Prix, on February 21 signed a cooperation agreement for the 2020-2025 period to promote Viet Nam tourism and Hanoi Formula 1 race to the world.

Under the agreement, many activities will be jointly implemented. Specifically, both sides will enhance the promotion of Vietnam's tourism and F1 race, introduce publications and documents on the event; and participate in a number of fairs and programs introducing Viet Nam tourism abroad among others.

;Foreign tourists visit Hoan Kiem Lake (Photo: Thanh Dat/ VNA)

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism will also introduce and connect Viet Nam Grand Prix with tourist information centres, tour operators, hotels and accommodation to display publications of information related to the race.

Vietnam Grand Prix will participate in Viet Nam tourism promotion activities hosted by the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism as a tourism business at international tourism fairs and tourism introduction program abroad.

Cooperation with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is part of the Vietnam Grand Prix's strategy to promote the development of the most attractive racing sports on the planet, thereby promoting Vietnam as a destination that should not be missed.

At the signing ceremony, General Director of Vietnam Grand Prix Le Ngoc Chi affirmed: “The first race in Hanoi in April will not only be a sports event but also an important cultural and tourist event for the whole city in particular and the country in general.

“In particular, the race will contribute to promoting Viet Nam as a modern and civilized country with dynamic and friendly people to international friends. This will be a great opportunity to create a momentum for Viet Nam's tourism industry to flourish,” she added.

The Formula 1 VinFast Vietnam Grand Prix to take place from April 3-5, 2020 in Hanoi is the latest in the F1 World Championship in 2020. This is the third leg of the season, right after the races in Melbourne (Australia), Bahrain and in the opening group of races in Asia.

The race is expected to attract about 300,000 participants and hundreds of international reporters. Currently, the construction progress of the race is still in schedule, and the attraction of the Formula 1 Hanoi race is getting hotter with F1 fans as well as domestic and international visitors./.