Hanoi to join tourism development forum with HCM City, central provinces

At the press conference (photo source: vov)

Hanoi – A forum to link tourism development between Hanoi, the southern hub HCM City and the Central Key Economic Region is slated for November 27-28, announced the Hanoi Department of Tourism during a recent press conference.

The zone covers the four provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Binh Dinh.

The forum, to be hosted by the central province of Quang Nam, marks a new development in the cooperation between leaders of the localities and tourism management agencies and associations, and travel firms.

It will focus on State tourism management, human resources development, product development, and promotions.

A signing ceremony on tourism development agreements between authorities of Hanoi and HCM City, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and tourism associations of seven localities, and travel firms will take place at the forum.

Other activities include a business matching and an exhibition promoting famous tourist destinations, products and specialties of the localities.

Intra-regional development cooperation is viewed as an effective method to revitalise domestic tourism activities as the sector is bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hanoi welcomed 7.27 million visitors in the January-October period, down 68.9 percent from the same period last year, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.

In 2019, around 29 million visitors came to the capital city, including more than 7 million foreigners.

As the resurgence of COVID-19 in Vietnam has been basically brought under control, the tourism sector in the capital city has been swiftly making plans to draw back visitors and gradually return to previous growth levels.

Many relic sites, places of interests, and entertainment venues in Hanoi have had a facelift and new services offered to meet visitors’ demand.

Entertainment venues are also revamping themselves to attract local visitors who are believed to be the best target in plans to recover the tourism sector at this point of time.

Local travel companies are also moving to encourage customers to travel again, as all air, train, and road routes to the central city of Da Nang, a major tourism centre and where the second COVID-19 outbreak started, have been resumed and many localities reopened places of interest.

Nguyen Cong Hoan, General Director of the Flamingo Redtours JSC, said that this time around, low prices are not the most attractive factor as travellers are seeking unique products that offer many different experiences.

Instead of promoting all of its tours, the company has selected the most outstanding autumn destinations for itineraries, such as the northwestern region with its blooming buckwheat flowers, the Central Highlands with its wild sunflowers, and the Mekong Delta region and its flood season.

It has also developed customised tours to suit the needs of particular groups of travellers, he noted, adding that the company expects that by proactively introducing new products, it can seize the opportunities a new tourism season presents.

According to the Hanoi Tourism Department, the successful containment of the second outbreak of COVID-19 has provided an opportunity for the local tourism sector to revive and thrive.

It has worked with the Hanoi Tourism Association, travel clubs, airlines, hotels, and destinations to discuss development solutions in the new context. It has asked tourism service providers and places of interest to persify products, introduce travel demand stimulus, and re-organise their activities to improve efficiency.

At the same time, Hanoi will enhance COVID-19 preventive measures in public places, especially in bars and karaoke lounges.

No new local cases have been recorded in the capital for more than two months, yet the municipal health department said the risks of the virus are still high, especially as more international flights started to resume.