HCMC – The HCMC tourism sector has returned to its high growth path since economic recovery programs were launched a year ago.
In January-September, HCMC attracted 21.6 million domestic travelers and over 2.1 million international visitors. Revenue from travel services soared 147.3% year-on-year to over VND4.7 trillion while accommodation and food services generated nearly VND61 trillion in revenue, up 92.1% year-on-year.
HCMC is a gateway to many other localities, in addition to boasting ample heritage and architecture sites, as well as diverse products and services, making it a must-see destination for domestic and international tourists, said Phan Thi Thang, vice chairwoman of HCMC.
Statistics showed the southern metropolis has over 4,000 hotels and lodging facilities with nearly 50,000 guest rooms, some 1,280 travel firms and some 7,000 tour guides, 60% of whom are certified as international tour guides.
To help the sector bounce back stronger, the HCMC Tourism Department has joined hands with travel firms to promote products such as business-leisure travel and Meetings-Incentives-Conferences-Exhibitions (MICE) tours.
In early October, the French luxury vessel Le Laperouse arrived in HCMC, becoming the first international cruise ship to visit Vietnam after a two-year suspension induced by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The city held the 16th HCMC International Tourism Fair in September. The event featured 210 booths from domestic travel firms and 50 others from foreign companies, and attracted over 22,000 visitors with 8,600 transactions.
Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, director of the HCMC Tourism Department, said the city had developed over 30 inner-city tourism programs and products. Most of them are being provided by tourism companies to stimulate tourism demand.
In the Vietnam tourism development strategy to 2025, the country looks to attract 35 million international visitors and 120 million domestic tourists, and maintain average growth in inbound tourists at 12-14% a year and domestic tourists at 6-7% a year.
