Tourists can experience city views from the Sài Gòn River on boats. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The HCM City Waterway Tourism Society (HWTS) was launched on Thursday as part of efforts to promote industry linkages, effectively exploit the city’s waterways tourism resources, and boost tourism.

The society, under the HCM City Tourism Association, brings together businesses, organisations, and individuals operating tourist transportation, restaurant boats, travel agencies, and other waterway tourism services.

An Sơn Lâm, director of Indochina Junk Co., Ltd., was elected chairman of the society.

The Sài Gòn River has much room for development, and effective exploitation requires the cooperation of the tourism association, the city Department of Tourism, and other government agencies, he said.

The goal is to elevate the city’s tourism industry and contribute to socio-economic development, he added.

The society will focus on connecting businesses, standardising service quality, improving the quality of vessels and port infrastructure, and building a healthy competitive business environment.

It will act as a bridge between businesses and government agencies, compiling suggestions and proposing solutions to overcome difficulties and enabling waterway tourism activities.

It will help members develop green and safe waterway tourism products that align with international trends.

Nguyễn Kim Toản, director of Thường Nhật Co Ltd and deputy president of the society, said  the Sài Gòn River is increasingly a strategic connecting axis from the upstream to the sea, opening up opportunities for the creation of new tourism products.

In recent years, the city’s waterway tourism has maintained steady growth, with tourism products and routes growing by an average of 10-15 per cent annually.

Nguyễn Thị Khánh, deputy president of the Việt Nam Tourism Association and president of the HCM City Tourism Association, said travel agencies, members of the tourism association, and the city government are working together to exploit and preserve the immense advantages of the Sài Gòn River through unique tourism products.

After its merger with Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu and Bình Dương provinces, the city’s waterway system now extends to Bình Dương, Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu, and Côn Đảo, along with its canal system, demonstrating the potential of the waterways that need to be exploited systematically and comprehensively to create a special impression on domestic and international tourists. — VNS