HCMC aims to become major Asian tourism hub

The municipal Tourism Department held the meeting to collect feedback on a plan to develop the city’s tourism sector until 2030, reported Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper.

Roland Berger, a global strategy consulting firm headquartered in Germany’s Munich, drew up the plan on the department’s orders. To execute it, the firm has collected data from surveys conducted at airports and popular destinations and from market research firm Euromonitor as well as gathered feedback from tourism experts and operators at home and abroad.

Based on the collected data, Roland Berger will make in-depth evaluations of the city’s tourism sector, paving the way for further solutions to bolster growth in the industry.

By 2030, the southern city is expected to become one of the leading tourism hubs in Asia, where tourists can experience distinctive cultural values and lifestyles. To realize the goals, seven groups of strategies have been mapped out, coupled with specific execution plans, said a Roland Berger representative.

According to the project’s research team, the city has yet to decide which tourism products perform better than those run by other cities in the region. It needs comprehensive strategies to achieve the target of becoming one of the world’s top destinations for international visitors by 2030.

The representive recommended the city choose flavor-rich dishes and drinks such as coffee, hu tiu (noodle soup with sliced pork or shrimp) and com tam (broken rice served with grilled pork) to build its own tourism brand, aside from traditional Vietnamese dishes such as banh mi thit (bread stuffed with pork) and pho (Vietnamese beef noodle).

Speaking at the event, representatives of Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Tay Ninh provinces suggested the project should also design tours linking the city with the neighboring localities.

In the coming months, the city will continue to develop more tourism products to attract tourists, step up efforts to launch more tourism promotion events and tighten cooperation with the Mekong Delta’s 13 provinces to develop the industry, according to Vo Thi Ngoc Thuy, deputy director of the tourism department.

Ha Van Sieu, deputy head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, recommended the city leverage information technology, create high-quality products and make the most of its nightlife economy to develop the industry.