The southern economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), the nation’s leading tourist attraction, is estimated to receive 3.1 million foreign arrivals in 2010, a year-on-year increase of 20%.
The city also said farewell to some 1.8 million Vietnamese at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport on out-bound tours or overseas business missions, representing a 2.5-fold rise over the previous year.
Domestic holiday makers taking services from HCM City-based travel agents also increased 30%.
As a result, the municipal hospitality industry earned some 41 trillion VND (about US$ 2.1 billion) in service revenues, representing an increase of 17% year on year and surpassing the yearly target by 3%.
Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, La Quoc Khanh, said the city has taken a vanguard role in launching tourist promotion campaigns, which culminated in a program named “HCM City-100 tips”
