Tourists view ceramic products on display at a Hà Nội tourism event. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội is shifting from event-based tourism towards a year-round experience model, using festivals as gateways to longer stays, deeper cultural encounters, and repeat visits.

Hà Nội’s tourism events are increasingly designed to inspire exploration beyond individual festivals. At the Hà Nội Tourism Gift Festival, for instance, visitors can make handicrafts with artisans, explore destinations through virtual reality and discover new tours and tourism stimulus programmes.

The approach turns festivals into starting points for longer journeys, complemented by the Hà Nội Tourism Festival at the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel, summer tourism programmes, night tours and cultural events.

Trần Trung Hiếu, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said festivals were increasingly being used to introduce tourism products, linked tours and year-round experiences, helping reduce seasonality and make better use of the capital’s heritage and tourism infrastructure.

Hà Nội is also developing more immersive products to encourage longer stays and repeat visits.

At Bát Tràng pottery village, visitors can make their own ceramics, meet artisans and learn the stories behind traditional products. Similar experiences have been developed through night tours at the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel, visits to the Hỏa Lòa Prison Relic Site and activities at Vạn Phúc silk village.

Vietravel Hà Nội said tourists, particularly international visitors, increasingly sought hands-on encounters with local culture, crafts, cuisine and communities.

According to Agoda’s 2025 Return Visitor Rank, Việt Nam ranked third in Asia for international visitor return rates, after Japan and Thailand. Hà Nội was among the country’s five destinations with the highest number of returning international visitors.

The trend highlights the growing importance of distinctive experiences in strengthening destination competitiveness and encouraging repeat visits. — VNA/VNS