Foreign arrivals to Ho Chi Minh City up 10.1% in first half of 2019

Ho Chi Minh City welcomed around 4.2 million foreign visitors in the first half of this year, up 10.1% year-on-year, according to the city’s Tourism Department.

Ben Thanh market in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA)
Ben Thanh market in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA)

The city received 17 million travellers in the January-June period, including 12.8 million domestic tourists, reaching 40% of its set target for 2019.

In the same period, the city’s hospitality sector earned approximately VND73 trillion (US$3.15 billion) in tourism revenue, an increase of 16.6% against the same period last year.

The city’s Tourism Department will foster and encourage marketing and promotion campaigns and develop more tourist products and services to make the city a magnet for holiday makers.

Accordingly, the department will develop agricultural tourism products in Cu Chi district too, and the ecotourism model in Thanh An commune, Can Gio district.

Ho Chi Minh City is targeted to receive 8.5 million international visitors and 32.77 million domestic visitors in 2019, up 14% and 13% year on year, respectively.

Tourism revenue this year is expected to rise by 14.5% year-on-year to reach VND150 trillion (US$6.46 billion).