HCM City promotes tourism potential in India

The booths of the HCM City Tourism Department, various Vietnamese travel firms, along with a number of Indian tour operators and media outlets attracted large numbers of visitors at the event.

Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Bui Ta Hoang Vu told the Viet Nam News Agency that India is among major and potential tourism markets that the city is targeting this year, adding that HCM City will focus on promotion activities in those markets. 

According to the official, more than 65,000 Indian tourists came to the city and adjacent localities in 2017, a rise of 10% year-on-year, putting India among top 15 markets with the largest number of visitors to the HCM City.

Mr. Vu voiced his belief that Viet Nam and HCM City will see a surge of Indian tourists in the coming time. The city is working to have more Indian restaurants and quality accommodations to serve this market in the expectation of a three- or four-fold increase in the number of Indian tourists to the city when a direct air route connecting Ho Chi Minh City and New Delhi opens.  

Viet Nam is able to satisfy all tourists who come here to enjoy leisure, go shopping, explore  local cuisine, organise weddings, or participate in business workshops, he said, adding that Indian travelers can visit well-preserved historical relic sites or Indian-style restaurants in many big cities of Viet Nam.

The event offered chances for Viet Nam to introduce the country’s image as a friendly destination while bolstering the friendship between Viet Nam and HCM City in particular with India through tourism cooperation.

Earlier, Viet Nam participated in an ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) in Chiang Mai, Thailand to promote Viet Nam tourism.

This event helped promote Viet Nam’s integration into ASEAN, helping define its role as an active member state of the eastern community.

The involvement also aims to promote Viet Nam as a safe, friendly and attractive destination to ASEAN countries and help prepare the country’s role in hosting ATF 2019.

                                                                                                                              By Vien Nhu