The municipal Department of Tourism on January 1, in collaboration with the city’s Tourism Association and Tan Son Nhat International Airport, held a welcome ceremony for the first visitors to Ho Chi Minh City in 2021.
Nine tourists departing from Hanoi and Con Dao on Vietnam Airlines flights VN7245, BL6025 and 0V8080 arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on New Year’s Day.
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Flowers presented to first visitors to Ho Chi Minh City on January 1 |
Ten other passengers on Vietjet Air VJ127 and Bamboo Airways QH203 flights came from Hanoi.
The first visitors to land in Ho Chi Minh City received round-trip domestic flight tickets and travel vouchers, along with multiple discounts from travel agencies and tourism services in Ho Chi Minh City.
Director of the city’s Department of Tourism Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa said the welcome ceremony is one of the key activities promoting the annual campaign “Thanh pho Ho Chi Minh xin chao - Hello Ho Chi Minh City.”
“The tourism industry in Ho Chi Minh City looks forward to efficient control of the COVID-19 pandemic from authorities. 2021 is expected to be the year of recovery for the domestic market and reopening of the international market in the following years. The first visitors this year mark the beginning of Ho Chi Minh City’s goal to reach 33 million tourists in 2021,” she said.
Hoa added that in an effort to develop Ho Chi Minh City to become a leading tourism city in Asia, the department has planned new tourism products and events to attract more visitors.
Some notable events include the 8th Ho Chi Minh City Ao dai Festival and Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Day, along with tours at old Sai Gon’s relics.
Last year, the city's tourism market suffered greatly from the COVID-19 pandemic. The total number of international visitors to Ho Chi Minh City in 2020 was 1.3 million, down 84.8 percent year on year, while the number of domestic travellers to Ho Chi Minh City was 15.8 million, a decrease of 48.4 percent year on year.
Total tourism revenue was estimated at 84.5 trillion VND (3.66 billion USD), down 39.6 percent compared to 2019.
Source: VNA