Ho Chi Minh City will see a sharp increase in MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) tourists in 2018, according to the local Department of Tourism.
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The city welcomed an estimated 6.38 million international visitors this year and earned some 116 trillion VND in tourism revenues, up 22.8 percent and 12.6 percent from last year. The number is expected to rise to 7.5 million next year, Vu said.
On December 15, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed the six millionth international visitor to the southern economic in 2017 at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. The si millionth international guest is Mitchener David William, who was flew in on flight VN780 by the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines from Austria..
According to Bui Ta Hoang Vu, the event marked a successful start of the city’s tourism season of 2018, with the growth of more than 1 million international visitors in 2017 compared to last year in 2016 .
Vu suggested that in 2018, the department and other municipal agencies should continue to maintain and improve tourism promotional events, such as Nguyen Hue Flower Street 2018, Ao Dai Festival and Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival, along with concentrating on completing the tourism development masterplan, facilitating implementation of the Law on Tourism 2017 and promoting river tourism.
The leader of Ho Chi Minh City's tourism sector said that in 2018, the city strives to welcome from 7.5 million to 8 million international tourists and an estimated 29 million domestic visitors.
In 2017, international arrivals to the city are estimated at 6.39 million, an increase of 22.8 percent from 2016, reaching 110 percent of the target. the city’s tourism sector has generated a revenue of approximately at 116 trillion VND, up 12.6 percent over the same period last year and meeting the set plan.
