CAN THO – HCMC and the 13 provinces and cities of the Mekong Delta region have established a cooperation council to foster tourism and create leverage for the regional economic development.
HCMC Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong serves as the chairman of the council which includes the leaders of the localities.
In the second half of 2020, the cooperation council is set to launch programs to stimulate domestic tourism; build a tourism brand for HCMC and the Mekong Delta region; and build and develop a roadmap to attract international tourists.
Apart from acting as a bridge between the local governments and travel firms to help them expand their market reach, the council will also encourage tour operators to develop new tourist products and raise the number of tourist destinations in their tours to attract more visitors.
Also, the council is planned to enhance information technology applications to provide updates and keep a close watch on the virus amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic worldwide to ensure the safety of tourists.
Speaking at a conference on tourism cooperation in Can Tho City on July 4, HCMC Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said that in the first four months of 2020, Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, paralyzed the tourism industry.
HCMC welcomed a mere 9.4 million tourists between January and June, dipping by 54.7% year-on-year, and earned over VND34 trillion in tourism revenue, down 49% year-on-year.
Some 13 million travelers visited the Mekong Delta region during the six-month period, dropping by 51% year-on-year, while its revenue from tourism tumbled by 53%.
Through the cooperation, the two-way tourism will be fostered and expected to remove difficulties facing tour operators and related service suppliers, said Phong.
By Huynh Kim
