Southern metro seeks larger budget for tourism promotion

Ho Chi Minh City will ask for a budget of VND12 billion (US$649,878) to launch a tourism marketing campaign at home and abroad to speed up the recovery of the downturn-hit tourism sector this year.
The proposed budget, VND3 billion ($162,469) higher than that of last year, would be used to finance a series of tourism promotional programs including international travel fairs and road shows, La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, told Thoi Bao Kinh Te Sai Gon Online (Saigon Economics Times Online).
The city’s tourism authorities are planning join a number of international travel fairs to be held this year in Brunei, Finland, Malaysia, Germany, Hong Kong and South Korea.
Local tourism officials and businesses will also organize road shows to introduce HCMC’s tourism products to potential customers and partners in South Korea, Japan, Spain and Cambodia as well as take part in activities held by the Tourism Promotion Organization for Asian Pacific Cities (TPO).
TPO is a city network aiming for development of the tourism industry through cooperation in marketing and promotion.
HCMC’s authorities will also team up with national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and the HCMC Tourism Association to organize familiarization trips for travel agents and media from Spain, Germany and Northern European countries to attract visitors and investment into the city’s tourism industry.
Khanh said the list of 100 exciting things to do in the city on the “Saigon 100E” online poll will be ready next month to become part of HCMC’s tourism promotional programs overseas.
“There are encouraging signs of the city’s inbound tourism sector recovering so we will need to do more marketing to speed up the pace of recovery,” he said.
The southern hub welcomed some 2.6 million visitors last year, down 200,000 visitors from 2008. It was also the first decline in tourist arrivals of the city since 2003 when the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic hit Vietnam.
But the city enjoyed a growth of 13 percent in tourism revenue last year compared to 2008 to VND35 trillion ($1.89 billion).
Local tourism sector has targeted to welcome 2.8 million travelers this year, the same as in 2008.