The tourism industry, accommodation establishments, and travel firms are focusing on innovating products and services and strengthening promotion activities to popularise Vietnam as the leading tourist destination in Southeast Asia and to contribute to the implementation of the Vietnam tourism development strategy to 2030.

Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, said one of its measures is to build many unique products. The department promotes and positions the city as a lively and modern city and an attractive shopping and recreation destination, she said, adding that it is expanding the use of marketing activities through media and strengthening the coordination among localities in the digital transformation process. HCM City is also building shared databases, aiming to facilitate businesses in setting up inter-regional products and calling for effective investment.

The city has proactively coordinated with other localities to organise many tourism promotion activities abroad to maximise regional advantages and increase value as well as the attractiveness of Vietnam in general and HCM City in particular.

The "Ho Chi Minh City - 100 interesting things" programme has been launched, thereby affirming the brand of the city’s tourism with main products such as cultural and historical tourism as well as combining tourism with enjoying local cuisine and shopping. HCM City has also introduced potential products such as waterway tourism and associating tourism with entertainment and the night economy.

To improve the effectiveness of tourism promotion, many localities concentrate on marketing programmes specific to their area, and in line with key themes.

According to a representative of Long An province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, its tourism sector attaches great importance to innovation in building communication products so that visitors feel the attraction and authenticity, wishing to visit and experience. The representative said that Long An has joined the Tourism Promotion Organisation for Asia-Pacific cities (TPO) with the expectation of popularising its tourism resources, destinations, and prominent products to cities in the Asia-Pacific region. One of the ideas is to connect tours from Long An to TPO member cities and vice versa.

Under Long An provincial planning for 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, which has been approved by the Prime Minister, its tourism industry will develop towards diversifying types of tourism and products to create branded and competitive products.

The focus will be on expanding eco-tourism, agricultural and rural tourism in the Dong Thap Muoi region as well as resort tourism and entertainment services in areas adjacent to HCM City.

Like Long An, Vung Tau city in the southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau is a member of the TPO. Earlier in March this year, the city hosted a conference of member cities with the theme "Green Convergence". The idea is to promote cooperation and the image of Vung Tau tourism to TPO members as well as pushing up investment and development collaboration between the locality and other cities.

Talking about market connection activities and enhancing promotion to tourists, especially for internationals, Vo Anh Tai, Deputy General Director of Saigontourist Group, said the group has proactively deployed plans to potential markets to attract tourists based on high-quality products and services with the launch of stimulus promotions on a large scale. It has also updated information with partners and taken part in international tourism fairs to explore cooperative opportunities./.VNA