Hanoi (VNA) 🥀– The number of tourist arrivals to Hanoi surged 2.5-fold in the first half of 2023 compared to a year earlier, attributable to the reform of tourism promotion activities, improvement of service quality, and upgrade of cultural facilities and hotels.

The capital city welcomed over 1.4 million international visitors and 771,000 domestic tourists in H1, respectively rising 6.1-fold and 16.5% year on year, according to the municipal People’s Committee. By the end of June, Hanoi had 3,756 tourism accommodation establishments with nearly 70,300 rooms, including 603 hotels rated one - five stars with 25,600 rooms that account for 16.1% and 36.3% of the total respective figures. The occupancy rate of the hotels rated one - five stars reached 60.1% in H1, increasing 32.3% from the same period last year. Among suppliers of qualified tourism services, there are currently 29 food service establishments, 35 others providing shopping services, six offering entertainment services, and one delivering healthcare services, helping attract a large number of visitors, statistics show. The Hanoi People’s Committee recently reviewed the cooperation programme with CNN International to advertise the city on this channel since 2017. This partnership will continue until 2024. The municipal Tourism Department has held specialised conferences and discussions on tourism product development, communications, and personnel training to seek ways for tackling difficulties facing stakeholders involved in tourism. It has also conducted a survey on agricultural and rural tourism potential so as to develop this type of tourism. Besides, the city has stepped up connectivity and cooperation with key tourism localities in the north, the south, and the central and Central Highlands regions to create tours linking with them. It has renewed activities in the pedestrian space around Hoan Kiem Lake and the vicinity while opening similar areas surrounding the Son Tay ancient fortress, Thien Quang Lake, and the southern urban area of Ring Road 3 in Hoang Mai district. The department has also coordinated with travel companies and destinations, especially relic and heritage sites, to offer night tours. Nguyen Manh Quyen, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said aside from making reforms, the administration will order the department to diversify forms of tourism promotion such as on digital platforms like websites and social networks (Youtube, Facebook, Tiktok), produce video clips available in five foreign languages (English, French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean) to introduce local destinations, and create souvenirs and travel publications imbued with the local culture. Director of the Tourism Department Dang Huong Giang said her department is also focusing on developing tourism infrastructure such as the transport system connecting tourist attractions with local and national roads. It is completing the zoning plans of some key tourism sites and projects in Ba Vi, Huong Son - Quan Son, Soc Mountain - Dong Quan Lake, and Van Tri - Co Loa. A plan is also being drafted to develop different types of tourism matching each locality’s advantages, such as cultural, night, MICE and culinary tourism in central areas. Leisure, agricultural and cultural tourism would be developed in the west (Ba Vi, Son Tay, Thach That, Quoc Oai), while weekend leisure, shopping - entertainment and sport tourism in the north (Me Linh, Dong Anh, Soc Son). Shopping, night and MICE tourism can be developed in the east (Gia Lam, Long Bien), while craft village, agricultural, rural and cultural tourism better suits the south (Ha Dong, Thuong Tin, Thanh Tri), she added./.