City looks to 250,000 international arrivals this month

HCM City’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has predicted the city will be able to attract around 250,000 foreign visitors this month, rising 38 percent year-on-year and bringing the total in the first 11 months to 2.85 million.

International tourist arrivals are forecast to surpass the three million mark in the city this year as the city tourism authority and Vietnam Airlines are joining hands to welcome the three millionth foreign visitor of the year to the city in the middle of next month.

The department expects around 3.1 million foreign visitors to come to the city in all of 2010, up 20 percent from last year, and tourism revenue to reach 41 trillion dong, up 17 percent year-on-year.

Some tour operators in the city told the Daily that unlike in previous years, travel firms have yet to issue their reports on the inbound market segment as they are still waiting for last-minute bookings for both long-haul and short-haul markets.

Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Travelink, said the world travel market was recovering and that he joined the World Travel Market fair in England from November 6 to 10, where more wholesale buyers in this fair than in the previous event showed interest in Vietnam as a tourist destination.

He stressed the industry would need more marketing programmes for tourism in the city and the country as a whole. “Separate promotions for the inbound sector will not help draw the attention of buyers.”

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it had planned 27 promotion activities at home and abroad next year to promote the image of the city’s tourism. However, almost all the activities will take place within the country.

La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the department, told the Daily the department wanted more events in foreign countries because of funding constraints.

The department has asked for 15 billion dong to fund its promotion activities next year, but no approval from the city government has been given. The city has earmarked only seven trillion dong for promotion programmes this year, down from the 11 billion dong in 2009.

The department is looking to 3.5 million foreign visitors next year, and revenue of 49 trillion dong. – Saigon Times

Tags: Vietnam Tourism