Hanoi (VNA) –🍸 A forum to link tourism development between Hanoi, the southern hub HCMCity and the Central Key Economic Region is slated for November 27-28, announcedthe Hanoi Department of Tourism during a recent press conference.

The zone covers thefour provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Binh Dinh. The forum, to be hostedby the central province of Quang Nam, marks a new development in thecooperation between leaders of the localities and tourism management agenciesand associations, and travel firms.  It will focus on Statetourism management, human resources development, product development, andpromotions. A signing ceremony ontourism development agreements between authorities of Hanoi and HCM City,national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and tourism associations of sevenlocalities, and travel firms will take place at the forum. Other activitiesinclude a business matching and an exhibition promoting famous touristdestinations, products and specialties of the localities. Intra-regional developmentcooperation is viewed as an effective method to revitalise domestic tourismactivities as the sector is bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hanoi welcomed 7.27million visitors in the January-October period, down 68.9 percent from the sameperiod last year, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the municipalDepartment of Tourism. In 2019, around 29million visitors came to the capital city, including more than 7 millionforeigners. As the resurgence ofCOVID-19 in Vietnam has been basically brought under control, the tourismsector in the capital city has been swiftly making plans to draw back visitorsand gradually return to previous growth levels. Many relic sites,places of interests, and entertainment venues in Hanoi have had a facelift andnew services offered to meet visitors’ demand. Entertainment venuesare also revamping themselves to attract local visitors who are believed to bethe best target in plans to recover the tourism sector at this point of time. Local travel companiesare also moving to encourage customers to travel again, as all air, train, androad routes to the central city of Da Nang, a major tourism centre and wherethe second COVID-19 outbreak started, have been resumed and many localities reopenedplaces of interest. Nguyen Cong Hoan,General Director of the Flamingo Redtours JSC, said that this time around, lowprices are not the most attractive factor as travellers are seeking uniqueproducts that offer many different experiences.

Instead of promotingall of its tours, the company has selected the most outstanding autumndestinations for itineraries, such as the northwestern region with its bloomingbuckwheat flowers, the Central Highlands with its wild sunflowers, and theMekong Delta region and its flood season.

🎀 It has also developedcustomised tours to suit the needs of particular groups of travellers, henoted, adding that the company expects that by proactively introducing newproducts, it can seize the opportunities a new tourism season presents.

According to the HanoiTourism Department, the successful containment of the second outbreak ofCOVID-19 has provided an opportunity for the local tourism sector to revive andthrive. It has worked with theHanoi Tourism Association, travel clubs, airlines, hotels, and destinations todiscuss development solutions in the new context. It has asked tourism serviceproviders and places of interest to diversify products, introduce travel demandstimulus, and re-organise their activities to improve efficiency. At the same time, Hanoi will enhanceCOVID-19 preventive measures in public places, especially in bars and karaokelounges. No new local cases have been recorded inthe capital for more than two months, yet the municipal health department saidthe risks of the virus are still high, especially as more international flightsstarted to resume./.