The HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism's tourism division told the Daily on Tuesday that arrivals in the first quarter makes up 26% of the whole year's target, but the first three-months normally is the busiest time for the hospitality industry.

International travellers coming by air total some 630,000, down by 13% year-on-year, and major source markets include the US, Japan, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, Canada, China, France, Singapore and Malaysia.

Nevertheless, the city sees a slight increase in revenue attributed to better performance with the domestic and outbound tourism segments compared to the same period last year.

The tourism division said in a report that some 200,000 local tourists have travelled abroad via Tan Son Nhat International Airport to favourite destinations such as China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia in the year to date.

The report showed that the city tourism's revenue reached 7.7 trillion dong, up 15% year-on-year and equal to 22% of the whole year's target of 34 trillion dong. Hotel and restaurant service contributes an estimated 6.16 trillion dong, up 12% year-on-year, while that from travel service is 1.54 trillion dong, up 28%.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai, director of public relation communications department of Tan Dinh Trade and Travel Service Co., better known as Fiditourist, told the Daily that her company saw a fall in the inbound business, but witnessed 22% improvement in domestic and outbound segment in the first quarter of this year.

Mai said that some big tour operators in HCM City have enjoyed the nationwide tourism promotion programme initiated by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, under which airlines are offering discount of up to 60% in airfares.

Mai said Fiditourist package prices for domestic tours have been slashed by between 32% and 40% depending on destinations, while outbound travellers could save from US$100 to US$300 a trip to other countries in the region.

She added that travel would likely pick up much more as many take the promotion chance to spend their vacation during the coming Summer holidays at local seaside destinations. Especially, several tours to the northern region are some two million dong cheaper than before.

Vu The Binh, head of Travel Department under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, told the Daily on the phone on Tuesday that it was not until March 29 to know the exact number of foreign arrivals in the country.

He, however, estimated that the numbers of foreign arrivals, local tourists travelling abroad and domestic tourists would decrease around 10% against the same period last year.

Saigon Times Daily - March 28, 2009