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In the first six months of 2019, Ho Chi Minh City's tourism industry continued its growth from 2017 and 2018, with many tourism development indicators increasing compared to the same period last year. Tourism development activities were improved in quality and scale, and major festivals attracted millions of tourists. The city also focused on developing distinctive tourism products, while surveying and creating new products; specializing and professionalizing tourism promotion and marketing according to market demands; strengthening the management of tour guides, training human resources, and promoting administrative reforms in state management of tourism.
The total number of visitors to Ho Chi Minh City in the first six months of the year is estimated at 17 million, of which international visitors are estimated at 4,251,000, an increase of 10.1% compared to the same period in 2018 and reaching 50.02% of the 2019 plan. Meanwhile, domestic visitors are estimated at 12.8 million, reaching 40% of the 2019 plan. Revenue from the tourism industry in the first six months of the year reached VND 73,000 billion, an increase of 16.6% compared to the same period in 2018.
Many festivals held during the first six months of the year have been upgraded in quality and feature new elements, attracting the attention and interest of millions of tourists to Ho Chi Minh City. After many years of implementation, these festivals have become an important reason why tourists choose Saigon as a destination for many cultural and entertainment events.
Building on the achievements already made, Ho Chi Minh City is determined to complete the targets for the last six months of 2019, including: reaching 8.5 million international tourists, an increase of approximately 16% compared to 2018; reaching 32 million domestic tourists, an increase of approximately 13% compared to 2018. Total tourism revenue is expected to reach 150,000 billion VND, an increase of approximately 14.5% compared to 2018. The city's tourism industry will also focus on developing many new and unique tourism products, improving the quality of existing products such as: waterway tourism, medical tourism, ecotourism, agricultural tourism, and tourism stimulus programs…
During a recent meeting with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, Mr. Tran Vinh Tuyen, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of the city, requested that the tourism industry focus on successfully implementing international seminars such as: "Developing Smart Tourism in the City," "Forum Connecting Tourism between the City and the Mekong Delta Region," the "Ho Chi Minh City - 100 Interesting Things, 3rd Edition" program, and most importantly, attracting more tourists to visit Ho Chi Minh City.
