HCM City promotes tourism on virtual platforms
HCM City (VNA) – Ho
Chi Minh City has actively applied technology and digital platforms
to promote tourism, introduce safe destinations to tourists and create favourable conditions for tourism businesses to operate in a secure and
flexible manner during the pandemic.
The 17th Ho Chi Minh
City Tourism Festival, running virtually from
December 4 to 25, is an effort in this direction.
Anyone can participate in the
festival, which is co-organised by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism and Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, by logging on to the event’s official website
(ngayhoidulich.visithcmc.vn) or via Shopee e-commerce platform and Traveloka
online tour agent.
Thanks
to 2D and 3D platforms, visitors can experience the virtual exhibition booths, and receive direct support and advice through
message or email. They can also make direct transactions to buy their favourite
products and find super promotions in line with the time frame of the
stalls.
Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, director of the HCM City’s
Department of Tourism said to improve the effectiveness of tourism promotion of
the city, the department has set up a modern platform designed to
introduce its tourism. Particularly, the department has coordinated with
Onicorn Media in developing the HoChiMinhCity Tourism app that enables users to
find information about the city’s destinations more easily, Hoa said.
Phan Thi
Thang, vice-chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee, said the tourism industry
is identified as a key economic sector, contributing more than 10 percent to
the city's Gross Regional Domestic Product prior to the pandemic period.
The
number of international visitors to HCM City accounts for about 50 percent of international tourists to
Vietnam while domestic tourists to the city make up more than 30 percent
of domestic travellers. The city’s tourism revenue is about 25
percent of that of the whole country.
The tourism festival is a
practical activity, meeting the visitors’ demand in a safe manner while
facilitating localities across the country to introduce their typical tourism products,
Thang said, adding that it helped strengthen coordination between HCM City and
other provinces and cities.
Nguyen Trung Khanh, director
general of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said the organisation of
the 17th Ho Chi Minh Tourism Festival in the virtual form with the participation of 100
tourism firms and agencies will stimulate the demand for research and purchase
of tourism products of tourists from all over the country.
The number of domestic tourists
to HCM City reached nearly 9 million in 11 months of 2021, down 41 percent and
71 percent compared to those of 2020 and 2019.
Total revenue from tourists hit
42.6 trillion VND in the first 11 months of this year, a decline of 44 percent from the previous year and 69.7
percent from two years ago./.