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A boat race in the first HCMC River Festival (Photo: SGGP) |
Accordingly, the city will exploit waterway tourism products in all routes on the Saigon River connecting with neighboring provinces, including Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Tien Giang, Long An, and Ben Tre, including inland routes in the city; and develop at least 10 waterway tours, tourism programs linking seaports and river routes by 2025.
The city plans to receive around 500,000 visitors a year from the waterway tourism program in the 2023-2024 period. This number is expected to be increased by 10 percent in the next years. Revenue from waterway tourism is hoped to hit VND300 billion (US$12.6 million) per year in 2023 and 2024 and grow 10 percent in the coming years. The number of international cruise ship tourists arriving in the city will be 100,000 in 2023 and 2024 and grow 12-15 percent in the next years.
In 2023-2024, the cruise industry is expected to make VND500 billion (US$21 million) per year in revenue which is expected to increase by 12 percent in the coming years. The city is keen on developing waterway tourism into one of the types of tourism and tourist products that are different from others, contributing to the diversification of the city’s tourist products. It is estimated that the city will have hundreds of means of water transport by 2025, including 200 canoes, 100 boats, ships, cruise ships, and others.
The HCMC People’s Committee will focus on improving the quality of waterway tourism products in the 2023-2024 period, including short-distance routes of river tours and inland waterway tours with a radius of less than 10 kilometers, boat tours on Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe canal, mid-distance tour with a radius from 10 kilometers to 60 kilometers.
Additionally, the city will put importance on building a standard system of voice-over translation to provide information about waterway tourism routes, history, culture, and identities of the river and canal systems of the southern metropolis.
In the 2024-2025 period, the city will continuously promote historical relic sites, such as Cu Chi Tunnel, Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve to international visitors, tours visiting historical and cultural relic sites, and carry out an urban development plan for Bach Dang Wharf – Ba Son Bridge – Landmark 81 building – Van Phuc urban area, as well as strengthen tourism and entertainment services at the river bank and on river cruise ships.
