HCMC to expand tourist attractions

HO CHI MINH CITY Ho Chi Minh City tourism authorities will develop more tourism products in an effort to make the city more attractive to foreign visitors.

Local media reported the city vice chairman, Tran Vinh Tuyen, has asked the Department of Tourism to offer farm-based tourism products with leisure and culinary tourism features in outlying areas such as Can Gio and Hoc Mon districts.

The department was also told to develop sports-based tourism and arrange at least three large-scale sporting events in the city annually.

City districts will also organise street art activities and light festivals to help spur tourism.

Waterway tourism, mainly sightseeing boat trips or dinner cruises, will also be organised in 2017.

Ho Chi Minh City currently has nearly 2,200 accommodation establishments and 1,314 travel agencies.

The number of foreign visitors to the city is estimated at 5.2 million this year, 10% higher than, last year, with strong growth from China, South Korea, the United States and Japan markets, according to the tourism department.

Next year, the city targets  5.5 million international tourists and 24 million domestic visitors, with tourism earnings at USD4.9 billion.

In 2015, it received 4.6 million foreign visitors and 19.3 million domestic tourists, up 4.6% and 13% year-on-year, respectively.

Tourism earnings reached over USD4.1 billion, a year-on-year increase of 10%.