HCM City (VNS/VNA) - The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism on June9 kicked off its annual tourism stimulus programme that will run throughout theyear as part of its attempt to revive the hard-hit tourism industry.

Nearly 260 tour packages are being offered with 280,000 discounted vouchers of10-70 percent.

Tour packages featuring popular tourist attractions in HCM City have beendesigned with new services to attract locals.

A one-day tour to Thanh An island in the city’s Can Gio district, for example,is only 99,000 VND (4 USD) per person and a one-day HCM City tour 135,000 VND (6USD) per person.

Twenty tourist and entertainment sites offer discounts of 20-50 percent onentrance tickets.

A total of 40 accommodation facilities in the city have reduced room rate by22-68 percent besides free airport pickup and drop off services, and spa andlaundry services.

Airlines, railway and road transport providers in the programme are alsooffering a variety of promotions and discounts.

The programme features attractive discounts on tour packages from HCM City toother cities and provinces.

Coordinated efforts of tourism authorities in HCM City and neighbouringprovinces will help to create inter-regional tourism products and promotionactivities, said Bui Ta Hoang Vu, director of the department.

This year, the programme will promote travel linkages between the city andlocalities. A large number of tourists are expected to travel to otherlocalities from HCM City, Vu said. 

Miss Vietnam 2018 Tran Tieu Vy and model and travel blogger Tran Quang Dai areambassadors for this year’s programme which has its website atwww.kichcaudulichtphcm.vn

Last month, the number of foreign tourist arrivals to HCM City was zero,according to a report of the city’s Department of Tourism.

In the first five months of the year, the city welcomed more than 1.3 millioninternational tourist arrivals, down 63 percent year-on-year.

Nguyen Trung Khanh, head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism,said domestic travel is the priority at this time as all international flightsare still closed.

The number of domestic tourists is expected to reach no more than 60-65 millionthis year or two-thirds of this year’s target, Khanh said at a meeting held on June8 in HCM City.

If foreign tourists are allowed to enter the country next month, the number offoreign tourist arrivals might reach 6-8 million for the year.

The number might be an estimated 4-4.5 million if the tourism sector reopens toforeign tourists in the fourth quarter, he said./.