Hanoi will have its own decree on developing tourism to 2020, targeting to welcome 30 million tourists, 5.7 million of which are international tourists, and earn VND120 trillion ($5.38 billion) in revenue, according to a workshop on the new decree held in Hanoi on June 15.

By 2020 annual growth in international tourist numbers to Hanoi will be from 8 to 10 per cent and annual growth in tourism revenue will be from 15 to 17 per cent.

On average, occupancy rates in hotels will be from 60 to 65 per cent.

The city will also adjust its tourism development plan for six tourism areas: the city center, Son Tay in Ba Vi district, Huong Son - Quan Son Lake in My Duc district, Soc Mountain - Dong Quan Lake in Soc Son district, Van Tri - Co Loa in Dong Anh district, and Ha Dong district.

Suoi Hai Lake in Ba Vi district is to be a national tourism area by 2030.

Traditional villages such as Bat Trang, Van Phuc and Duong Lam will be improved to meet international tourism standards.

Dong Anh district is also calling for investment to become a specialized tourism zone.

Hanoi is creating a legal framework to provide the best conditions possible for investors.

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said that the draft decree was in part based on experiences shared by international experts.

Weaknesses have been studied to identify solutions and prepare the plans in the draft.

Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Hoang Trung Hai pointed out that the city’s infrastructure is poor and there is a shortage of hotels.

The situation raises questions about how to secure investment without relaying on the State budget.

After ten years of conducting Hanoi’s tourism development project in the 2007-2015 period, tourist numbers have increased stably, growing 10 per cent a year on average and accounting for one-third of all visitors to the country.

In 2015 it welcomed 3.26 million international tourists and 16.43 domestic tourists, earning revenue of VND55 trillion ($2.46 billion).

The capital still lacks entertainment areas, resorts, sports areas, and shopping areas of international standard.

The workshop concluded that Hanoi’s tourism remains fragmented, is not synchronized, and its enterprises are small in scale and uncompetitive.

In general, the city has not identified tourism as a key sector. It lacks mechanisms and policies to attract private capital and major investors to develop the sector.

In 2016 it has targeted welcoming 21.165 million tourists, including 3.8 international tourists, and to earn revenue of VND60 trillion ($2.69 billion).

The city expects to exceed this target because in the first three months international tourist numbers stood at 1.04 million.