HCMC targets 15 pct rise in local tourists

Ho Chi Minh City has set a 15 percent growth target for domestic tourists this year, following a sharp increase of 30 percent last year, an official said Tuesday.
Vietnamese tourists play an important role in the city’s tourism industry, said La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
“Ho Chi Minh City is a great place for people from other cities and provinces to visit. The city alone has more than 8.2 million residents – a large market that all tourism businesses wish to have.”
Khanh said his department and tourism service providers have worked together to promote the city to tourists nationwide.
The department Tuesday announced it will kick off a week long tourism festival on April 8 as a promotion campaign for the city.
Foreign arrivals to Ho Chi Minh City fell 7 percent last year and the city is targeting a 7 percent rebound this year.