The Ho Chi Minh City River Festival 2023 attracted city residents through various community activities - Photo: QUANG DINH
On the afternoon of April 15th, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism held a press conference to provide information about tourism promotion events in Ho Chi Minh City for the second quarter of 2024.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, in the second quarter of this year, the city will have a series of activities to anticipate trends and carefully prepare stimulus programs to increase revenue for the industry during the peak summer season.
In particular, with the goal of developing several festival events into brand events of the city, the 2nd Ho Chi Minh City River Festival will be held from May 31st to June 9th on a larger scale and for a longer duration than the first one.
The timing of the event, held at the beginning of summer, aligns with family travel plans and the habits of some Asian markets.
This festival will be held in the Nha Rong - Khanh Hoi area, Saigon Port, and many riverside tourist destinations in the area. The event is expected to feature 22 tourism, cultural, entertainment, art, culinary, sports , and shopping activities taking place throughout the region.
The highlight of this year's River Festival is the art program "Legendary Train Journey," continuing the "The River Tells Stories" story from 2023.
In addition, the festival will also increase connectivity between industries in Ho Chi Minh City as well as with the Southeast region, aiming to maximize the length of stay and spending of tourists, creating a series of large-scale and exciting activities for visitors.
This will lead to the creation of unique products not only in the tourism sector but also in the cultural sector, aiming to stimulate tourism in a more systematic way.
Regarding the goals for this year's festival, Ms. Hoa said that the department is still reassessing the specific targets. However, based on last year's experience, the city's tourism department has been more proactive in its communication efforts, promoting the event to several international markets such as Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asian countries like Singapore and Thailand.
Activities during the festival include shopping promotions for tourists and locals; a riverine culinary competition, the Southern Fruit Festival, and the fruit market on the riverside in District 8…
Last year, the inaugural River Festival had a positive impact on the city's tourism. During the event, hotel occupancy rates in the city increased by approximately 20%, restaurant services reached 100% capacity, and revenue increased by 23% compared to normal.
In addition, waterway tours have also attracted the attention of tourists, with the number of visitors increasing by 15% compared to normal, and up to 50% on inner-city routes.
In addition, Ho Chi Minh City will also organize three overseas tourism promotion programs in the second quarter, including: the 4th Ho Chi Minh City and Friendship Provinces Exhibition in Savannakhet (Laos); the Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City tourism promotion program in Australia in May; and the Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City tourism promotion program at the IMEX Frankfurt Fair (Germany) in May 2024, also in May 2024.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, in the first three months of 2024, the number of international visitors to the city is estimated at nearly 1.4 million, an increase of 32.4% compared to the same period in 2023, reaching 23% of the 2024 plan.
In March 2024 alone, the number of international visitors reached nearly 481,000, an increase of 30.3% compared to the same period in 2023.
Source
Comment (0)