Two major cities join hands to stimulate tourism

The Hanoi and HCM City Tourism Associations have signed an official cooperative agreement to implement a program to stimulate tourism in 2013.

The Hanoi and HCM City Tourism Associations signed an official cooperative agreement in Hanoi on 20 April to implement a program to stimulate tourism in 2013.

The document was reached during the first Vietnam International Travel Mart and aims to promote the development of local tourism in the country’s two major cities.

Under the agreement, both associations will implement discount airfares between the two cities on Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air. They will also work with travel operators to reduce prices of land-based services and  offer 30 percent discounts on tour packages.

Vu The Binh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said that the move opens up the prospect for cooperation between the two regions and has given fresh impetus to developing Vietnam’s domestic tourism sector.
In the first quarter of this year, the number of international visitors to HCM City is estimated at more than one million visitors, up 8 percent compared to the same period last year, with total tourism revenue expected to reach over VND20,000 billion, up 20 percent.

Foreign visitors to Hanoi have also increased sharply, recording over 634,000 arrivals since January, up 9.8 percent over last year.