At the press conference (Photo: VNA)

Accordingly, the annual event will take place at a time when the city embarks on the second stage of restoring tourism activities while safely adapting to COVID-19.

In particular, it will be also open virtually on the event’s website, the portal of the municipal Tourism Department at www.visithcmc.vn, Shopee e-commerce site and Traveloka online tour agent.

On both 2D and 3D platforms, the festival will draw 100 virtual stalls by prestigious tour agents and tourism sectors of cities and provinces.

Deputy Director of the department Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu said spaces of the event will be divided into two categories, including for tourism, transportation, service and souvenir suppliers; and for local tourism promotion agencies, representative offices and international tourism organisations.

New destinations, local signature tourism products and the latest technologies used in the sector will be introduced to the public, she said.

Other notable events as part of the festival include the launch of a tourism recovery campaign for the city, a start-up competition themed “Joining hands to restore tourism”, a webinar on measures promoting the use of information technology in tourism, and an online exchange with famous travel bloggers such as Ngo Tran Hai An, Khoai Lang Thang and Nhi Dang.

Following the opening ceremony and offline events on December 4-5, the festival will be held virtually till December 25 to serve visitors’ shopping demand. Diverse activities will also be organised on these platforms during the Promotional Month 2021 jointly held by the municipal Department of Industry and Trade, the Department of Tourism and the Department of Health.

Co-organised by the municipal Tourism Department and the Tourism Association, the 2020 festival attracted over 200 businesses, 59 cities and provinces nationwide./.

Source: VNA