The annual Hanoi Tourism Festival will be held from March 24 to 26 around Hoan Kiem Lake as the municipal authorities aim to boost local tourism in 2023.

Foreign visitors at the Hoa Lo Prison Relic in Hanoi. Photo: Hoai Nam/The Hanoi Times

The three-day event will display local products from other provinces and cities, showcase the services of travel companies, and offer visitors the chance to enjoy local cuisine and crafts.

The festival will also feature 2D and 3D miniatures of Hanoi's popular places and cultural and historical heritages in other provinces and cities, allowing visitors to post checking-in photos.

Event activities will occur at sites around Hoan Kiem Lake, including the Ba Kieu Temple, Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Thach streets, and the Octagonal House.

The Hanoi People's Committee expects the tourism festival 2023 will boost the local tourism sector and make it the spearhead of the city's socio-economic growth.

The municipal authorities also hope to find strategic investors to help implement tourism development plans and apply solutions to promote sustainable tourism.

With these expectations, the municipal authorities intend to turn Hanoi into one of the leading destinations for Vietnamese and foreign tourists.

The Hanoi Tourism Festival 2023 will promote the cultural values of heritage sites and foster cooperation between Hanoi and other localities in Vietnam and abroad.

The festival is expected to encourage Vietnamese and Hanoi locals to travel to tourist attractions in the city, such as the ancient village of Duong Lam, Ba Vi National Park, and Bat Trang Pottery Village, as well as other places of interest around the country.

As part of the National Tourism Year 2023 campaign, the festival will promote responsible tourism, guide tourists and travel companies to use green and clean products, make the environment healthier and friendlier, and preserve and promote cultural and traditional values. It will contribute to building a sustainable tourism industry to boost other sectors of the Vietnamese economy.

The 2022 Hanoi Tourism Festival was held in May last year, attracting about 50,000 visitors to the three-day event.

In 2023, Hanoi set the target of welcoming 22 million visitors, up 17.6% on-year. Of the figure, the number of domestic tourists will increase by 10.5% on-year to 19 million, and that of international visitors will double compared to last year, reaching three million.

Along with measures to boost travel, Hanoi targets strengthening cooperation and connection with neighboring provinces and cities.

Key products include meeting-incentive travel-conference-exhibition (MICE) tours, city tours, island travel, and healthcare and educational travel. In addition, the municipal tourism department will support Hanoi-based travel companies to expand their operations in other provinces and cities.