The 2024 HCM City River Festival will be organised on an international scale to attract more tourists to the area. VNA Photo

HCM CITY The HCM City Department of Tourism in the second quarter of 2024 will organise a series of tourism stimulus events to attract visitors to explore and learn about HCM City.

The highlight will be the 2024 HCM City River Festival, which will be organised on an international scale.

According to Nguyễn Thị Ánh Hoa, Director of the HCM City Department of Tourism, in the second quarter, tourist revenue is expected to continue to grow in the peak summer season.

HCM City has been undertaking activities to anticipate trends and carefully prepare various stimulus programmes, including the HCM City Tourism Fair, a programme connecting businesses from 45 provinces and cities, and for the first time, the HCM City Film Festival.

In May, the city will host events such as the International Ginseng and Herbal Festival, an exhibition of the agricultural and food industry, and a Vietnamese export goods fair.

These events will be spread throughout the month and last for three to five days each.

"The highlight of May and early June will be the elevation of the River Festival to an international level. This festival will be held in the Bến Nghé - Khánh Hội area, Saigon Port, and many river tourism destinations in the area,” Hoa said.

The event is expected to feature 22 tourism, cultural, entertainment, artistic, culinary, sports and shopping activities across the city.

The highlight of this year's River Festival is the artistic show 'Legendary Cruise,' continuing the story of 'The River Tells Stories' from 2023.

During this occasion, the city will introduce new nighttime activities, especially the new product 'Nhà Bè one thousand and one nights', Hoa added.

Additionally, HCM City will also organise three tourism promotion programmes abroad in the second quarter, including a HCM City and neighbouring provinces exhibition in Savannakhet in Laos for the fourth time from April 1 to 8, the Việt Nam - HCM City Tourism Promotion Programne in Australia from May 4 to 11 and the Việt Nam - HCM City Tourism Promotion Programme at the IMEX Frankfurt Fair in Germany from May 14 to 16.

According to the HCM City Department of Tourism, the number of international visitors to the city in the first three months of 2024 reached nearly 1.4 million, an increase of 32.4 per cent compared to the same period in 2023, achieving 23 per cent of the 2024 plan.

In March 2024 alone, international visitors to HCM City reached nearly 481,000, an increase of 30.3 per cent compared to the same period in 2023. VNS