Hanoi kick-starts tourism promotion activities

The programme, to be held at the Ly Thai To Square by Hoan Kiem Lake in downtown Hanoi and other locations, is the first in a series of activities during 2022 to respond to a policy to bolster tourism recovery in the capital city in a safe and flexible manner while keeping COVID-19 at bay, now that Vietnam has officially reopened international tourism.

Its opening ceremony is scheduled at 8pm on March 25, featuring the screening of the short film "Colourful Hanoi", and musical and visual arts performance shows.

A highlight of the programme will be a hot-air balloon festival titled ‘"Colourful Hanoi" held in Long Bien district, with 18 one-level hot air balloons (10m high) and four seven-level hot air balloon (22m high). Visitors can experience flying up in hot air balloons to see Hanoi from above.

Floating lanterns with the shape of hot-air balloons will be lit up on the Red River during the "Get on Hanoi - Night of Dreams" event.

The programme will broadcast online through digital platforms: YouTube, the municipal Department of Tourism’s fanpage and the “Get on Hanoi” fanpage.

Hanoi aims to serve over 10 million visitors in 2022, including over 1.2 million international holiday-makers, earning a total revenue of over VND30 trillion (US$1.31 billion).

The city plans to expand new tourism products based on the potential of each area, in a bid to gradually resume all tourism activities this year in an important step to develop the tourism sector sustainably after the pandemic.

Culinary and heritage tourism as well as MICE, a type of tourism combining meeting, incentives, conferences and events will be promoted in inner districts while spiritual and agro-tourism will be developed in suburban 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 main tasks and solutions to develop tourism in adaptation to the new normal, with an emphasis on ensuring safety for both destinations and visitors. 

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

Seminars will be organised to train local residents at destinations in knowledge and skills relating to serving tourists. Training classes on community-based tourism will also be held in some districts at the same time.

Hotels and resorts in inner and suburban areas are encouraged to implement promotion programmes as well as services tailored to satisfy tourists' demand for short vacations.

The municipal People’s Committee has also directed agencies to accelerate the establishment of food and pedestrian streets, such as expansion of existing walking streets around Hoan Kiem Lake and the surrounding area, and opening of walking zones around Son Tay ancient citadel and Ba Dinh district’s Ngoc Khanh lake area.

The construction of hotels, convention and exhibition centers as well as amusement parks has also been sped up to meet the diverse needs of tourists.

Hanoi will pilot the implementation of agro-tourism models and community-based ones towards green and sustainable tourism in localities with advantages.

New products such as a walking tour programme introducing visitors to prominent French architectural buildings in Hoan Kiem district and adventure tourism in Ba Vi and Chuong My district will be developed.

The city also encourages the deployment of tourism types relating to sports and health as well as homestay.