Nguyen Cam Tu, Director of the HCM City Tourism Promotion Centre said that the increase was contributed by the rise in the number of MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourists.
"We've decided to include MICE in a list of seven most potential tourism products that will be invested in over the coming time," she said.
The official shared that since the beginning of this year, they have welcomed some 1,000 MICE tourists mostly from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and China.
"Most recently we received a delegation of nearly 500 MICE tourists from India from July 20-25," she said. "This is a positive sign for HCM City."
Speaking to the Lao Dong Newspaper, a representative of the Vietravel Company said that MICE was one of their strategic targets and it is bringing much higher profits compared to other tourism products.
"We're trying to diversify our products to suit more customers and improve our services to give them the best experiences in Vietnam," he said. "Vietnam is known as a safe country with friendly people and beautiful natural scenery. Some of the places being most chosen by MICE tourists in Vietnam include Phan Thiet, Vung Tau, Phu Quoc, HCM City, Danang, Nha Trang, Hanoi, and Ha Long."