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Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Phan Van Mai speaks at the meeting. (Photo: SGGP) |
Attending the conference were Chairman and Vice Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee, Phan Van Mai and Duong Anh Duc.
In the first quarter of 2023, around 8.6 million tourists traveled to the city, up 79.17 percent compared to the same period last year. Total revenue from tourism reached VND36,112 billion (US$1.5 billion), presenting an increase of 77.2 percent, and revenue from accommodation and catering services was up 37.2 percent.
The municipal tourism industry expects to receive five million international visitors and 35 million domestic tourists, and VND160,000 billion (US$6.85 billion) in revenue in 2023.
General Director of Viet Nam Peace Tour Joint Stock Company Nguyen Thi Hoa Le said that visitors to HCMC are mainly business travelers, individual visitors and those visiting relatives. There were a few MICE tourists.
The number of frequent visitors from Taiwan (China) and France sharply dropped after the Covid-19 pandemic. The city needs to focus on investing in strong points, such as the first-ever Vietnamese Banh mi Festival which was successfully organized to promote local cuisine, and special art performances to attract tourists, Ms. Hoa Le added.
According to Chairwoman of the HCMC Tourism Association Nguyen Thi Khanh, tourist arrivals to HCMC fell significantly while the number of visitors to Hanoi and Northern provinces increased sharply. Thus, the tourism sector needs to set short, medium, and long targets to propose the municipal authorities' support.
The Department of Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City needs to have an in-depth analysis and assess the contribution of the tourism sector.
Tourism is a general economic sector, contributing to building the city's brand, and helping the southern metropolis affirm its leading role in the Vietnam economy. Investment in tourism brings benefits that are greater than other sectors. Therefore, leaders of the industry have to learn experience from provinces and cities across the country, and foreign nations to develop the city’s tourism, he required.
