HCM City to Welcome Tourists in a more Professional Manner

HCM City to Welcome Tourists in a more Professional Manner

In early days of 2005, Ho Chi Minh City received over 1,200 foreign visitors. Over the past few days, the number of visitors to Ho Chi Minh City and tour contracts sent to the city’s travel agencies has increased rapidly. This optimistic sign has resulted from great efforts by the Ho Chi Minh City tourism service, showing its great prospects for 2005. VIB Forum interviewed Nguyen Thi Lap Quoc, director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism.

Despite disadvantageous factors to the tourism business, Ho Chi Minh City maintained a high growth rate in the industry with timely solutions. Can you tell us briefly about the city’s achievements in tourism development in 2004?

Ho Chi Minh City had the experience of fighting severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, so we could control bird flu in a timely manner, preventing it from spreading widely and causing severe damage. Information about the successful control of the disease was published on the mass media, including websites of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee and local travel agencies.

Tourism promotion activities in Ho Chi Minh City have been boosted. In particular, we have created events, such as the Vietnam-Japan cultural festival, to attract visitors. As a result, Japan has had the highest number of visitors to Ho Chi Minh City. Also, we have concentrated on the Russian market and over the past few years many Famtrip groups of visitors have been successfully organised.

Ho Chi Minh City has seen a high growth rate in services with tourism gaining the highest growth rate of 37 per cent. Compared with 2002, the tourism service saw an increase of over 30 per cent. The number of foreign visitors in 2004 was up by 20 per cent in comparison with that of 2003 and 11 per cent over that of 2002. In 2005, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism has selected and formed 22 shopping places, meeting requirements of visitors.

Another feature is that more and more people in the city have used domestic and foreign tourism services. The number of local visitors to foreign countries increased by over 30 per cent. Travel agencies, hotels and restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City have maintained a high growth rate and provided better services for customers. The number of enterprises observing  the regulations of the tourism service has risen, showing a sign that tourism business activities in Ho Chi Minh City have become more professional.

What do you think about tourism prospects in 2005? How has Ho Chi Minh City prepared for its programme of action?

A notable event in late 2004, which may open up more opportunities for tourism in 2005, was United Airlines’ opening of a flight route from San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City via Hong Kong. Investors and visitors will flock to Ho Chi Minh City. United Airlines has promoted information about Ho Chi Minh City as its new destination on their advertising channel.

Also, we are promoting in the Malaysian market to attract more visitors from the country. Visa exemption for visitors from ASEAN countries and the opening of flights from Ho Chi Minh City to other cities and provinces in Vietnam have facilitated visitors’ travel.

Ho Chi Minh City’s authorities are determined to build up the city into a real attractive destination, capable of competing with other cities in the region. The city will boost the development of tourism with many programmes on developing infrastructure, diversifying products, in particular, developing detailed plans for the Can Gio eco-tourist site, pedestrian and shopping streets. The city will carry out many major projects on upgrading hotel facilities, increasing the number of luxurious rooms and upgrading hotels to meet four-star or five-star standards. Now, the city has 30 hotels which have met the standards of between three-star and five-star hotels, and 15 hotels granted with the ISO 14000 certificates. 2005 will see major events in Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in particular. The city will organise festivals and events to celebrate the 30^th year of the Liberation of the South, the 115^th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh, the 60^th National Day, and many other festivals of fruit and food. Tourism promotion activities will concentrate on updating information about Ho Chi Minh City as an ideal destination. Some short-term work includes a boost of tourism promotion in foreign countries, such as Japan, the Republic of Korea and ASEAN. Also, the city will have to set up information centres for visitors, while increasing the local people’s awareness and creating a friendly environment. The local tourism service will promote co-operation with foreign airlines and press agencies to introduce Ho Chi Minh City in Malaysia, Australia and the US. I believe that Ho Chi Minh City will become an attractive city with a friendly welcome upon visitors’ arrivals, during they stay and their departure. We will continue to study and organise tourism events and programmes on a larger scale with specific features.

International co-operation programmes in tourism are considered as a way to attract foreign visitors. How will Ho Chi Minh City carry out these programmes in 2005?

We will continue our promotion programmes with Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Russia and the US to expand our markets. We will explore and design tours from Ho Chi Minh City to other provinces and cities nationwide and in neighbouring countries in the region, creating trans-Asia tours in order to diversify our products. A focus will be given to tours via the Moc Bai and Tinh Bien border gates in Tay Ninh and An Giang provinces, respectively. Moreover, we will prepare for a welcome of a group of Indian cars, joining a trans-Asia route.

What programmes will Ho Chi Minh City tourism service organise to welcome Tet (Lunar New Year)?