Hanoi ready for this year's SEA Games 31 and ASEAN Para Games 11

Hanoi will this year host many major sport events of the region, including the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) and the ASEAN Para Games 11,  Mr. Tran Trung Hieu, the Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism has said.

The region's biggest sporting event will be held in Hanoi and 10 neighbouring provinces from November 21 to December 2 this year. Meanwhile, the ASEAN Para Games 11 will open in December.

Mr, Hieu said this will be a great opportunity to promote the attraction for the capital and drawing more tourists to Hanoi. “The capital’s tour operators should grasp this opportunity.”

Safety is key for Hanoi tourism growth amid Covid-19. Photo: Pham Hung

To make successful events, Mr. Hieu said Hanoi tourism sector will continue prioritizing the Covid-19 prevention and control as its important task for recovery in 2021, calling on local travel businesses to enhance their cooperation in order to create a safe and attractive tourism market.

Mr. Phung Quang Thang, Chairman of the Hanoi Travel Association, said that travel agencies need to strengthen links to deal with the shortage of human resources and implement sustainable tourism.

Focus on domestic travelers

In the tourism strategy for 2021, Hanoi will build products which focus on domestic travelers, eco-tourism, community, cultural and spiritual, resort, and healthcare, sport groups; promote links between 4-5-star hotels, restaurants, and trade centers to build tourism products targeting at Hanoians.

In addition, Hanoi continues strengthening the implementation of a series of outstanding events including domestic travel stimulus and craft street festivals.

In the complicated development of Covid-19 in the world, the national tourism industry has identified the domestic market as the main source of revenue at least in the first half of 2021.

Mr. Thang, who is also the Director of Hanoitourist Travel Company, said that domestic trips are offered at the lowest prices in 2020 as part of the efforts to stimulate travel and cannot be any lower, thereby the local companies would compete in terms of quality instead of price.

Me Linh flower villagers prepare for the Lunar New Year. Photo: Pham Hung

According to Ms. Le Thanh Thao, the Director of Asia Solar Company, the tourism trend in 2021 will be much different from 2020 as tour operators will focus solely on the domestic market. Besides traditional products, the company will build unique tour programs to provinces of Lai Chau, Son La, Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Quang Tri, An Giang, and Soc Trang.

At this time, managements of destinations have also offered many products in 2021, of which, the Temple of Literature (Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam) will organize the spring festival for domestic tourists, Hoa Lo Prison Relic continues launching a new version of the night tour while the Ba Vi National Park Management Board will expand the offers with a number of new activities such as mountain climbing and terrain trekking.

One of the highlights of the tourism industry at the end of 2020 is the birth of the first travel airline - Vietravel Airlines which will make the first flight in January 2021connecting Hue - Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City and then expanding to other key tourist sites.

According to General Director of the Vietnam General Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh, the inauguration of more air routes from Hanoi to other tourist areas and vice versa will create opportunities to develop the tourism market as well as increase the number of visitors to the capital.