At the conference (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - By engaging in tourism programmes with localitiesnationwide, Hanoi has forged regional links that have helped it drive up visitornumbers and tourism revenue, according to Deputy Director of the municipal Department of TourismTran Trung Hieu.
Hieu madethe comments at a conference on tourism cooperation developmentbetween Hanoi and other cities and provinces on November 19 .
The HanoiDepartment of Tourism signed nine cooperation programmes with counterpart agenciesin 40 cities and provinces nationwide between 2016 and 2020. It also joined theorganisation of cultural and tourism promotions in the capital for localities suchas Quang Binh, Tay Ninh, Tuyen Quang, Son La, and Ninh Thuan provinces.
Thedepartment also signed a deal with CNN over the screening of tourism productsand routes in association with those of other Vietnamese provinces.
As partof the overall effort, a large number of programmes have been held to help connectorganisations, experts, travel companies, and local authorities in search ofsolutions for building tours that are compatible with different touristmarkets.
Familiarisationtrips, or FAM for short, have also taken place, while assistance has been givento travel agencies to build prominent products in Hanoi and overseas. FAM are tripsdesigned for travel advisors to learn about a destination, a partner travelcompany, or an airline, or sometimes all of the above.
A seriesof products have come into being, for example those on the Hanoi - Lao Cai - HaiPhong - Quang Ninh and Hanoi - Mekong Delta routes. In June alone, thedepartment and the UNESCO Hanoi Travel Club signed agreements with localauthorities in provinces such as Ninh Binh, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, andLai Chau to promote tourism. Field trips have also been launched tonorthwestern provinces and cities neighbouring Hanoi, with the participation ofmedia and travel agents.
HoangNgan Hoan, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in the northernmountainous province of Son La, said the provincial tourism sector has beensupported by the capital’s tourism department in joining international travel fairsand organising Son La tourism days in Hanoi.
Suchcooperation has helped Son La’s charms reach citizens in the capital and thosein the northern region.
Participantsalso said that tourism connectivity primarily focused on promotional activities,with proper priority yet to be given to product and human resources development.
Hieusuggested strengthening the tripartite cooperation between administrators, tourismservice providers, and managers of tourism destinations, as well as cooperationin attending fairs and training human resources, among others.
Hanoi ishome to a number of popular sites such as Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple, VanMieu - Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature), Thang Long Imperial Citadel, and theOld Quarter.
Afterbeing hit by COVID-19 earlier this year, the capital, considered an emergingtourism hub, is stepping up recovery programmes while restructuring its tourismproducts and markets towards the goal of posting a 45 percent year-on-year increasein domestic visitors in 2020, to more than 11 million.
Themunicipal Department of Tourism said the successful containment of COVID-19 hasprovided an opportunity for the sector to revive and thrive and industryinsiders now look forward to improved business performance.
Thedepartment has worked with the Hanoi Tourism Association, travel clubs, airlines,hotels, and destinations to discuss tourism development solutions in the newcontext. It has asked tourism service providers and places of interest todiversify products, introduce demand stimulus policies, and re-organise activitiesto improve efficiency.
Thecapital welcomed 7.27 million visitors in the January-October period, down 68.9percent against the same period last year, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic,according to the department.
Some 29million visitors came to Hanoi in 2019, including more than 7 millionforeigners./.
