Opportunity for Ho Chi Minh City to become a "shopping tourism paradise"

Ho Chi Minh City has the largest population in the country, is a major center of finance, media, technology, education and transportation. In 2023, Ho Chi Minh City's tourism industry will attract nearly 5 million international visitors, about 35 million domestic visitors, achieving total tourism revenue of over 160,000 billion VND.

Brand name street on Dong Khoi Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Huy Chuong

According to Mr. Bui Ta Hoang Vu - Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, to become a regional commercial center, the city must first have infrastructure and abundant goods.

In addition, there is a lack of specialized centers that serve each customer group. For example, international visitors who want to buy domestic products need to have an introduction and shopping center for international visitors; tax refund stores for foreign visitors outside the airport area.

Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa said that shopping tourism is identified as one of the main product segments that brings in the main source of revenue for the city's tourism industry.

To increase spending and length of stay of tourists, in the coming time, Ho Chi Minh City will prioritize the development of shopping systems, supermarkets, duty-free shopping centers, especially large-scale complexes that not only have resorts but also shopping, cultural, entertainment and culinary activities.

That orientation is currently being coordinated by the Departments and branches to specifically identify areas where these large-scale centers, factory outlet areas, and duty-free shops in shopping districts can be developed.

According to the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), the scale of the shopping tourism industry will reach 61 billion USD by 2022, with Asia-Pacific countries holding 53% of the market share, with South Korea alone holding 16 billion USD, accounting for 26%, but the proportion of shopping tourism in Vietnam is only a few hundred thousand USD.

Trinity Forum is a gathering place for famous brands and franchisors around the world in the field of travel retail. — Trinity Forum is a gathering place for famous brands and franchisors in the world in the field of travel retail.

With the opportunities for developing shopping tourism, Trinity Forum 2024 is one of the major events expected to bring many opportunities to the tourism service industry of Ho Chi Minh City, thereby achieving many goals in retail tourism.

Trinity Forum 2024 is organized by the Inter-Pacific Group (IPPG) and Vietnam Airports Corporation (ACV), at the invitation of The Moodie Davitt Report, Airports Council International (ACI) and ACI Asia - Pacific and Middle East.

The Forum brings together leading airports, brands and franchisees from around the world in the travel retail sector to discuss and explore key travel retail issues, such as staying ahead of the evolving duty-free shopping trend, meeting passenger expectations for a seamless and personalized omnichannel experience, and maximizing revenue streams in a competitive global marketplace.

The Trinity Forum takes place on November 5 and 6, 2024, with many programs such as seminars, exhibitions and award ceremonies, and is expected to have more than 300 delegates from more than 30 countries attending.

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