APEC 2017 that took place from November 6 -11 in the central city of Da Nang is considered an ideal occasion for Vietnam to intensify tourism dissemination, contributing to attracting more foreign visitors to the country. Many localities have made greater efforts to grasp the opportunity to make full use of APEC tourism markets.

These Singaporean tourists are going for a tour around Ho Chi Minh City’s popular attractions, including the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica and the Central Post Office.

Vietnam is seeing an upward trend in the number of tourists coming from APEC member economies in recent years. APEC comprises 21 member economies, accounting for over 60 percent of foreign tourists to the city.

As host of APEC 2017, Vietnam’s tourism sector is grasping a chance to promote the country’s tourism potential.

“Currently, there are not many direct flights connecting Da Nang to big cities in the world, therefore tourists still have to fly to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City,” said Tran Doan The Duy, Vietravel Company’s Deputy General Director. According to him, it is also considered a good opportunity for Ho Chi Minh City.

APEC includes many demanding markets such as Japan, the Republic of Korea, the US, Singapore, Canada, among others. Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism sector and travel companies are required to invest more in improving the quality of tours, tourism products, infrastructure and services in order to serve those markets.

Tran The Dung, Deputy General Director of Fiditour Company said The country has made efforts to attract more tourists, including the provision of online visa for visitors from three APEC members.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Deputy Chairwoman of Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Department said it is necessary to pay attention not only to promoting tourism market, but also to accessing tourism technology and developing tourism infrastructure.

Ho Chi Minh City welcomed 5.2 million international tourists last year. The city aims to welcome 6 million visitors this year and 11 million in 2020.-VNA