Ha Noi’s tourism industry has made many significant achievements in recent years, but its development has not lived up to its potential or its expectations, tourism managers and enterprise workers agreed at a conference in the capital city.

Held within the framework of Viet Nam International Travel Mart at the International Exhibition Centre, the conference aimed to enhance tourism cooperation among nations, organisations, cities and provinces of high tourism potential.

The event also created opportunity for state tourism organisations to receive constructive feedback and support to overcome difficulties.

Viet Nam’s tourism in general — and Ha Noi’s in particular — have achieved obvious development. In 2016, the total number of tourists to visit

the capital reached 21.8 million, increasing by 11 per cent over 2015.

Meanwhile, the figure of international tourists to Ha Noi was 4 million, increasing by 23 per cent in comparison with the previous year.

The development has transformed economic structures and created job opportunities. It also has improved living standards, global integration and the national image.

According to Nguyen Van Tuan, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism’s general director, Ha Noi possesses many tourism resources that make it a high quality destination. There are two options for Ha Noi’s tourism development: creating new products and renovating the old ones.

In creating new products, the city has attracted many investors to launch large-scale tourism projects. However, to refresh available products like the old quarter, Sword Lake or cultural heritage sites, the tourism sector needs to improve their quality by investing in infrastructure and human resources.

Nguyen Tien Dat, the vice director of TransViet Company, argued that the pedestrian zone around Sword Lake, a temporary tourism product in the city, has not met its expectations. He suggested the introduction of more diversified cultural activities to enhance its attractiveness, like ao

dai zone to display Viet Nam’s traditional dress or photo exhibition capturing each period of Ha Noi.

According to Nguyen Quang Lan, the chairman of Viet Nam Tourism Association, Ha Noi needs to construct more  international-standard leisure centres. Moreover, it is important to organise the tourism zones within the city to clearly identify its major tourism areas.

The conference also witnessed the signing ceremony of the cooperation agreement between Ha Noi and other provinces including Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Dien Bien, Lao Cai, Son La, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh and Hoa Binh.