Hanoi strengthens global ties at the 1st Global City Tourism Summit

THE HANOI TIMES — The capital city of Hanoi marked a new milestone on the global tourism stage as its delegation from the  Hanoi Department of Tourism  joined the first Global City Tourism Summit 2025 (GCTS 25) in Busan, Republic of Korea, from October 26 to 31.

This year’s summit, titled “Promoting tourism and local culture through innovation and cooperation”, gathered city government representatives, national tourism agencies, global experts and business players and media organizations from around the world.

Against this backdrop, Hanoi’s presence was both timely and strategic, as reflect its strategies to welcome visitors and deepen relationships, aligning with emerging global trends in urban tourism.

The city welcomed an estimated 26.07 million visitors in the first nine months of 2025, up 23.8% compared with the same period last year, including 5.54 million international arrivals, rising by 26% year-on-year.

In the same period, tourism revenue climbed to VND98.36 trillion (US$4.01 billion), up 20.7% on year.

These figures provide a vivid backdrop for Hanoi’s delegation, affirming the city’s appealing in the global travel world.

At the summit, Vice Director Tran Trung Hieu of the Hanoi Department of Tourism said that this global forum opens fresh avenues for the capital’s tourism sector to present its evolving portfolio: high-end culinary experiences, wellness and health-care tourism, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism and community-based tourism.

Throughout the summit’s schedule, the Hanoi team engaged in a variety of activities, interesting the official plenary conference, themed sessions addressing topics such as digital transformation in city tourism, bilateral and multilateral dialogues and experience-sharing visits to actual destinations.

Each of these offered Hanoi delegates the chance to showcase their own journey of tourism revitalization with domestic growth and international reach.

By participating in these thematic seminars, Hanoi gains access to case-studies of sustainable destination management and urban cultural tourism.

At the same time, the networking opportunities at Busan help Hanoi to forge new strategic partnerships to show its authentic culture, heritage and urban evolution.

To serve the sustainable development, the Hanoi authorities get fresh ideas on strengthening infrastructure, enhancing digital service platforms, refining high-quality experiences and forging international brand collaborations.

With its heritage deeply rooted in the Old Quarter and historic relics, alongside a modernizing hospitality sector, Hanoi is positioning itself as a memorable urban tourism destination.

By highlighting innovation grounded in heritage, GCTS marked a meaningful step toward deeper collaboration among world tourism cities and set the tone for a more connected, culture-driven future of global travel.