Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi is stepping up domestic travel stimulation and advertising local destinations in the current off-season period in an effort to reach this year’s target of about 26.5 million tourists, including 5 million international visitors.

The capital city has attracted more than 14 million visitors so far this year, rising 13.7% from a year earlier. That includes 3.16 million foreign arrivals, soaring 52.6% year on year, statistics show.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Capital’s Liberation Day (October 10) and other important events, the local tourism sector is holding a wide range of activities, including festivals and tourism promotion programmes.

In particular, the Hanoi Tourism Gift Festival 2024 is scheduled from August 23 to 25 to introduce unique and creative products and gifts of Hanoians to domestic and foreign visitors.

Meanwhile, the Hanoi Tourism Ao dai Festival from October 4 to 6 is expected to be another magnet for travellers. To be held at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel and some other places in the city, it aims to honour ao dai – a traditional costume of Vietnam, and cultural values of the country and the city.

Director of the municipal Tourism Department Dang Huong Giang said more destination introduction and travel stimulation activities will be organised to promote Hanoi as a destination with distinctive, unique, quality, and competitive tourism products, thereby drawing more domestic visitors in the off-season period.

Besides, they also aim to boost cooperation among tourism authorities, associations, airlines, travel companies, accommodation establishments, transport firms, and destination managers to foster the sector’s comprehensive development, she noted.

The official elaborated that her department will organise conferences to advertise destinations of the city, disseminate the travel stimulation plan to tourism businesses, devise solutions to difficulties facing insiders, and work out a roadmap for tourism development in both short and long terms.

Efforts will be made to connect airlines and destinations’ managing units with travel companies, she went on, noting that promotion activities are also planned in other key tourism provinces and cities to advertise local tours along with coming cultural and sports events.

⛄ In addition, Hanoi is augmenting actions to create a safe, friendly, and civilised tourism environment and ensure visitors’ interests. The department is coordinating with sectors and localities to prevent, detect, and deal with wrongdoings and handle tourists’ opinions in a timely manner, according to Giang./.