Illustrative image.(Photo:ngayhoidulich.visit.thcmc.vn)HCM City (VNA) – HoChi Minh City has actively applied technology and digital platformsto promote tourism, introduce safe destinations to tourists and create favourable conditions for tourism businesses to operate in a secure andflexible manner during the pandemic.
The 17th Ho Chi MinhCity Tourism Festival, running virtually fromDecember 4 to 25, is an effort in this direction.
Anyone can participate in thefestival, which is co-organised by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism and Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, by logging on to the event’s official website(ngayhoidulich.visithcmc.vn) or via Shopee e-commerce platform and Travelokaonline tour agent.
Thanksto 2D and 3D platforms, visitors can experience the virtual exhibition booths, and receive direct support and advice throughmessage or email. They can also make direct transactions to buy their favouriteproducts and find super promotions in line with the time frame of thestalls.
Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, director of the HCM City’sDepartment of Tourism said to improve the effectiveness of tourism promotion ofthe city, the department has set up a modern platform designed tointroduce its tourism. Particularly, the department has coordinated withOnicorn Media in developing the HoChiMinhCity Tourism app that enables users tofind information about the city’s destinations more easily, Hoa said.
Phan ThiThang, vice-chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee, said the tourism industryis identified as a key economic sector, contributing more than 10 percent tothe city's Gross Regional Domestic Product prior to the pandemic period.
Thenumber of international visitors to HCM City accounts for about 50 percent of international tourists toVietnam while domestic tourists to the city make up more than 30 percentof domestic travellers. The city’s tourism revenue is about 25percent of that of the whole country.
The tourism festival is apractical activity, meeting the visitors’ demand in a safe manner whilefacilitating localities across the country to introduce their typical tourism products,Thang said, adding that it helped strengthen coordination between HCM City andother provinces and cities.
Nguyen Trung Khanh, directorgeneral of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said the organisation ofthe 17th Ho Chi Minh Tourism Festival in the virtual form with the participation of 100tourism firms and agencies will stimulate the demand for research and purchaseof tourism products of tourists from all over the country.
The number of domestic touriststo HCM City reached nearly 9 million in 11 months of 2021, down 41 percent and71 percent compared to those of 2020 and 2019.
Total revenue from tourists hit42.6 trillion VND in the first 11 months of this year, a decline of 44 percent from the previous year and 69.7percent from two years ago./.
