HCM City works to elevate tourism profile (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The southern economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City led the country in tourism revenue in the first half of 2023. The result showed the city's countless efforts in promoting the tourism sector and tourism development.
Promoting its role as an economic centre and attractive tourism destination, in the first six months of this year, the city’s tourism revenue earned 80.8 trillion VND (3.35 billion USD), up 62.7% year on year. In the reviewed period, the city welcomed more than 16.4 million domestic visitors, up 48% year on year, and 1.9 million international tourist arrivals, triple than the same period last year.
According to experts, these figures reflect a bustle in tourism and the diversity of entertainment activities in the southern metropolis in the first half of this year.
A report of the municipal Department of Tourism showed that in the January-June period, revenue from accomodation and catering sevices in the city reached over 51 trillion VND, up 36.2% over the same period in 2022, while travel revenue was 4.8 trillion VND, up 78.5% year on year.
In particular, in the reviewed period, the local tourism industry launched a series of new tourism products and services, attracting tourists at home and aboard.
The department has focused on fully tapping indigenous tourism strengths associated with local potential to introduce a series of typical tourist destinations and cultural and historical relic sites in districts in the city, including District 7, District 1; District 8, among others.
Nha Rong wharf is a popular tourist destination in Ho Chi Minh City. This was the place where President Ho Chi Minh embarked in 1911 to seek a path to national salvation. Nha Rong Wharf attracts millions of Vietnamese and foreign tourists every year. (Photo: VNA)
Le Truong Hien Hoa, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Tourism, said that 21 areas in the city have launched featured products, under the theme of the "each district having at least one typical tourism product" programme.
In the remaining months of this year, the city's tourism sector will focus on implementing a tourism development strategy to 2030; continue to implement the Smart Tourism Development Project in the 2021 - 2025 period. The sector will also accelerate the completion of the tourism database system and the tourism service information integration project.
In particular, the municipal Department of Tourism will focus on organising the city's key activities and events, including first river festival, 17th Ho Chi Minh City International Tourism Fair and Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Week 2023, among others to lure more visitors.
In tourism cooperation, the city will continue to promote regional tourism links with provinces and cities. The focus is on tourism development cooperation programme between Ho Chi Minh City and 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta.
In addition, the municipal Department of Tourism has increased tourism promotion activities in some key markets such as Singapore, the US./.
