Hanoi (VNA) - To create a breakthrough in tourism promotion, andcontribute to the rapid and sustainable development of Hanoi's tourismindustry, the Department of Tourism of the capital city has launched a gift designcontest and a tourism photo competition.

The two contests aim to select photos and products that meetthe artistic criteria, show a typical, rich and diverse culture, tourismresources, tourist attractions, historical sites, festivals, traditional craftvillages, and the culinary culture of Hanoi for dissemination and promotion ofthe capital city's tourism to both domestic and international tourists.

Entries should show the difference and diversity inmaterials and colours, and be friendly to the environment, safe to humanhealth, and not deformed or changed by the climate and weather. Theorganising board prioritizes products that use available materials, are localtraditional crafts and convenient for mass production, and have highapplicability and reasonable prices.

All professional and amateur photographers, artisans,painters, designers, organisations, enterprises and individuals can participatein the contest held from June 1 to July 31.

The organising board will present awards and display worksfrom September to October.

All individuals and organisations can find out detailedinformation about the contests' rules on the website of the Department ofTourism (//sodulich.hanoi.gov.vn) and on the mass media. Entries can besent to the Hanoi Department of Tourism’s headquarter at 11B Cat Linh street,Dong Da district.

The capital city is making every effort to revive itstourism after more than two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

About 8.61 million tourists, including some 211,300foreigners, visited the city between January and June, nearly tripling thefigure in the same period last year.

The city's total tourism revenue in the first half of 2022amounted to approximately 25.2 trillion VND (1.08 billion USD), more than threetimes the figure in the first six months of 2021.

Local hotels rated 1-5 stars recorded an average occupationrate of over 30% during the period, up 6.11% year-on-year.

The capital city, home to 24 recognised touristdestinations, is offering a series of enticing products to attract touristsgiven its reopening of the local tourism industry. These include night tours atHoa Lo Prison and Thang Long ancient citadel; a northern mountainous wet marketprogramme at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Son Taytownship; and the Hanoi City Tour by double-decker buses. 

In addition, Hanoi has also launched many tourismexhibitions, trade fairs, and festivals.

It is striving to welcome and serve 9-10 million visitorsin 2022, including 1.2-2 million international visitors. Total revenue fromtourists is expected to reach 27-35 trillion VND.

By 2023, the city is planning to welcome and serve 12-14million visitors, including 2.5-3.5 million foreign visitors, earning atotal revenue from 42 to 55 trillion VND.

It eyes to welcome over 30 million visitors, including 7million foreigners, by 2025, according to the municipal Party Committee’ draftconclusion on tourism development for 2016-2020 and following years. Thevisitors are expected to spend more than 130 trillion VND while in the capital.

To that end, Hanoi plans to expand new tourism productsbased on the potential of each area, in a bid to gradually resume all tourism activitiesthis year in an important step to develop the tourism sector sustainably afterthe pandemic.

Culinary and heritage tourism as well as MICE, a type oftourism combining meeting, incentives, conferences and events will be promotedin inner districts while spiritual and agro-tourism will be developed insuburban areas.

Such types of tourism including resort and health tourism;community and spiritual tourism will be prioritised in rural areas of the city.

The municipal People's Committee has designed seven maintasks and solutions to develop tourism in adaptation to the new normal, with anemphasis on ensuring safety for both destinations and visitors.

The city will strive to devise unique tourism products tomeet visitors' demand, and improve quality of tourism products and destinationslinked with heritage sites, relics and craft villages.

Seminars will be organised to train local residents atdestinations in knowledge and skills relating to serving tourists. Trainingclasses on community-based tourism will also be held in some districts at thesame time.

Hotels and resorts in inner and suburban areas areencouraged to implement promotion programmes as well as services tailored tosatisfy tourists' demand for short vacations./.