The opening ceremony of the fest was organized at the White Palace Pham Van Dong Convention Center in Thu Duc City on Saturday evening.
The festival is co-organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism and Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association.
Running virtually from December 4 to 25, the tourism festival is themed ‘A Safe Destination – A Lively Journey.’
This is the first time the event has been held virtually.
People can participate in the festival by logging on to the event’s official website (ngayhoidulich.visithcmc.vn) or via Shopee e-commerce platform and Traveloka online tour agent.
It features about 100 virtual stalls, designed in both 2D and 3D models, by prestigious tour agents and tourism sectors of provinces and cities across the country.
This year’s festival is meant to contribute to the recovery of the tourism sector when the COVID-19 pandemic is put under control by re-initiating tourism promotion campaigns and attracting visitors to safe and lively destinations.
Phan Thi Thang, vice-chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, speaks at the ceremony. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre |
At the opening ceremony, Phan Thi Thang – vice-chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee – stated that the domestic market plays a key role in the recovery of the tourism industry.
City authorities will strive to develop at least one distinctive tourism product in each district in 2022, Thang continued.
Ho Chi Minh City will also coordinated with other provinces and cities to establish safe routes and tourist destinations, she added.
The vice-chairwoman urged businesses to start preparing safety conditions so that they will be able to welcome international visitors back to Ho Chi Minh City as soon as the government allows it.
In his virtual speech, Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung hoped that Ho Chi Minh City will better apply technology and digital platforms to tourism promotion, leading tourists to safe destinations and creating favorable conditions for tourism businesses to operate in a secure and flexible manner during the pandemic.
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