Ho Chi Minh CitY welcomed 17 million visitors in the first six months of this year, including 4.3 million foreign visitors, up 10 per cent year-on-year, according to the city’s Department of Tourism.
Tourism receipts were estimated at 73 trillion dong ($3.13 billion) in the first half of this year, a year-on-year increase of 17 per cent.
In the last six months of this year, the department will continue to diversify and improve tourism products and services, said Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, deputy director of the department.
It will encourage more farmer households in Can Gio and Cu Chi districts to develop eco-tourism and agro-tourism models, Hoa said.
Many agro-tourism models attract thousands of visitors, including Green Noen in An Nhon Tay commune and Hai Thanh Koi Farm in Cu Chi district’s Trung An commune and Vam Sat ecological tourist site in Can Gio district.
The 15th edition of International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s largest international travel event, is scheduled to take place from September 5-7 at the Saigon Exhibition Convention Centre.
The annual event is a platform for industry players to showcase the latest tourism products, innovations and services, and offer networking opportunities with thousands of buyers and visitors from all around the world.
It is expected to attract hundreds of exhibitors, including airlines, hotels, resorts, travel agencies, representatives of local and international tourism promotion agencies from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, as well as China, Japan, South Korea, India, Bhutan, the UAE, Turkey, Russia, and Germany.
The fair also features a series of conferences on Vietnam-Russia tourism cooperation, Vietnam-Middle East tourism cooperation, Vietnam–Korea tourism cooperation, Ho Chi Minh City-Mekong Delta tourism connection, and smart tourism development in Ho Chi Minh City.
The event will be organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with city’s People’s Committee and Department of Tourism.
Last year, the fair attracted 270 exhibitors and brands from 40 countries and territories and more than 30 localities across the country, and 30,000 trade visitors. VIET NAM NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK