Hanoi welcomed about 5,000 visitors, mainly domestic tourists, in October 2021. The city has deployed many new tourism products in line with safe and flexible adaptation to COVID-19.
Children participate in the “French architecture in the heart of Hanoi” walking tour.
Domestic guests play a key role
According to a report from the Hanoi Department of Tourism, from October 14, Hanoi allowed some activities and services to reopen such as museums, parks, accommodation facilities, facilitating tourism thereby. In just three days (from October 15 to 18), Thu Le Park welcomed 2,500 visitors, Ba Vi National Park welcomed about 500 visitors, and Tan Da tourist area welcomed about 200 visitors.
It is estimated that in October 2021, tourists to Hanoi included only domestic tourists, with about 5,000 visitors, down 99% compared to the same period in 2020. Total revenue from tourists is estimated at VND14 billion, down 98.8% over the same period in 2020.
During the 10 months of 2021, tourists to Hanoi have only included domestic tourists with 2.92 million arrivals, down 61% over the same period in 2020. Total revenue from domestic tourists is estimated at VND8.18 trillion, down 68% over the same period last year.
For the whole year of 2021, it is estimated Hanoi will welcome 4 million domestic tourists (equivalent to 53% of all domestic tourists in 2020 and 36% of the plan set out at the beginning of the year). Total revenue from domestic tourists is estimated at VND 11.28 trillion (equivalent to 40% of total revenue in 2020 and equal to 23% of the plan).
Many unique products
For many months, Hanoi has actively restructured new tourism products to focus on attracting domestic tourists, such as an evening tour named “Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long” at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, folk experience tourism products at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, and a night tour titled 'Sacred Night – Glorious Vietnamese Spirit" at Hoa Lo Prison relic.
Previously, on October 22, the management boards of Hoan Kiem Lake and Hanoi’s Old Quarter coordinated with the Hanoi Investment, Trade and Tourism Centre and the Hanoitourist Corporation to organise a survey of heritage sites around Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter area, in order to evaluate the tourism potential, thereby forming new tourism products for the Capital after the fourth wave of the COVID-19.
According to Nguyen Huu Viet, Head of Tourism Promotion Department, the Hanoi Promotion Agency (HPA), said that in the coming time, the HPA will work closely with the management board of Hoan Kiem Lake to connect with tour operators in surveying and building products as well as promoting products and destinations in Hanoi’s Old Quarter and the Hoan Kiem Lake area to domestic and international tourists and investors.
Huu Viet emphasised that the most important task now is that the destinations in the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake need to be closely connected with travel businesses to create more attractive sightseeing routes as well as organising more activities to attract tourists.
In parallel with safety, tour operators in the city have launched tourism products in the new situation. Tourist attractions and zones in the city will improve the quality of products and services to serve tourists at tourist sites and attractions and implement measures to ensure safety against the COVID-19 epidemic.
Most recently, on October 23, the Vietnam National Museum of History in collaboration with the Hanoitourist Corporation opened the “French architecture in the heart of Hanoi” walking tour. This is the first tour of Hanoi to be restarted after the fourth wave of the COVID-19, with the motto "safe tourism".
According to the organising board, the opening ceremony of the French architecture in the heart of Hanoi” walking tour saw about 60 people of various ages, most of whom children, divided into six small groups. In order to ensure safety and abide by current regulations, each tour group consists of no more than 10 members, while groups kept their distance and avoided contact with each other in accordance with the motto "no touching".
It can be seen that, in the context that the epidemic remaining complicated, the active participation of tourism management agencies and Hanoi’s travel agencies has brought new hope of a revival in the capital's tourism industry.
