Artists from Sơn La Province performing at the Điện Biên-Northwest Culture and Tourism Week held in HCM City last year. —VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City will step up efforts to strengthen travel linkages with the expanded northwestern region to develop more unique tourism products, according to its Department of Tourism.

The number of tourists from HCM City to the region, comprising Điện Biên, Hà Giang, Hòa Bình, Lai Châu, Lào Cai, Sơn La, Yên Bái, and Phú Thọ provinces, is increasing.

Many inter-regional travel programmes have been exploited effectively by travel firms in the city, with millions of its tourists visiting the region and vice versa, according to statistics from 10 businesses that are members of the northwest working group.

The eight provinces in the region participated in the 20th HCM City Tourism Festival in 2024 with the theme “20 years of vibrant journey,” which attracted more than 150 tourism agencies from 45 cities and provinces and 50 tourism businesses.

The provinces also participated in the second HCM City River Festival which attracted 4.5 million visitors.

The tourism cooperation programme between the city and the northwest also included tourism promotion on the website dulichtaybac.vn, fanpage Sắc màu Tây Bắc – HCM City and on various social networking sites.

The city will organise a forum to review five years of implementing the tourism cooperation programme with the northwestern region next year. — VNS