Ho Chi Minh City, the leading tourism hub of Vietnam has targeted to double tourism revenues to VND46 trillion (US$2.88 billion) by 2010, state media has said.
The city&rsquos tourism sector will expand operations to potential markets such as Norway, Sweden, India, Indonesia and South Africa, in addition to key markets, including the U.S., Canada, France, Japan, China and ASEAN.
The Tourism Department And The Tourism Association will coordinate with domestic airlines to conduct campaigns abroad to introduce the country&rsquos history and traditional culture, and actively participate in international tourism fairs and forums.
A series of tourism promotion activities will also be held in major cities across the country, namely Hanoi, Haihhong, Danang, Hue, Da Lat, Nha Trang and Can Tho, to attract more local visitors to HCM City which boasts historical sites and worth seeing architectural works like Chu Chi tunnels, Thong Nhat Palace, Duc Ba Church and Giac Lam Pagoda.
In addition to improving service quality of existing tourism, the city will introduce new tours that combine tourism with high-quality medical check-ups and treatment, spa and traditional therapies.
In the first half of 2008, HCM City welcomed close to 1.5 million foreign tourists, a year-on-year rise of 16 per cent. The city raked in around VND14.6 trillion (US$912.5 million) from tourism revenues, up 40 per cent from last year.
The U.S. ranked first in the number of visitors, followed by Canada, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Singapore, China and Malaysia.
Currently, the number of international tourists to HCM City accounts for 55 per cent of Vietnam&rsquos total number.
The leading tourism hub of Vietnam is expected to welcome 3 million foreign tourists and earn VND19.5 trillion (US$1.21 billion) from tourism sector this year, up 14.8 per cent and 20 per cent respectively over 2007. (VNA)
Vietnamese
