The increase in arrivals and several awards won are evidence of the recovery of Hanoi's tourism sector in 2022 following the reopening in mid-March.

Tourists visit the Bat Trang craft village in Bat Trang Commune of Gia Lam District. Photo: The Hanoi Times

The Hanoi Department of Tourism has recently reported that some 17 million visitors came to the city in the past 11 months, a five-fold increase from the same period last year.

The figure included 1.27 million international tourists, fulfilling the full-year expectation, and nearly 16 million domestic travelers. Tourism activities have brought about a total of VND48.35 trillion (US$1.9 billion) to the city’s income.

In November alone, the capital city welcomed 1.6 million visitors, of which some 255,000 were foreign tourists. During the month, Hanoi earned VND4.39 trillion from tourism, five times higher than the same period last year.

The average occupancy rate in hotels in November is estimated at 36.1%, an increase of 14.7% year-on-year.

According to the municipal tourism department, the sector has achieved remarkable results after all local economic activities resumed on March 15 following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions.

The capital city has also received several honorable awards from reputable rating and ranking organizations.

Recently, the World Travel Awards 2022 on November 11 honored Hanoi as the World's Leading City Break Destination 2022.

Earlier in September, the WTA awarded the city and its three hotels the prize of Asia's Leading Getaway Destination 2022.

The World Travel Awards (WTA) is considered the “Oscar of the world travel industry”, an annual search for the world's finest travel and tourism organizations.

In May 2022, the US-based travel website TripAdvisor announced the list of the most favorite destinations in Asia for 2022, in which Hanoi ranked 13. The website also recognized Hanoi as the 22^nd of the best 25 cities for food lovers.

Also, the news channel CNN in early September listed Hanoi as one of the must-visit places for fall.

According to Graham Cooke, President cum Founder of the World Travel Awards, tourism in Vietnam and Hanoi have seen substantial recoveries through promoting local values and characteristics and creating groundbreaking activities.

According to Dang Huong Giang, director of the municipal tourism department, the rankings and ratings are the affirmation of Hanoi’s stature and reputation in the global tourism industry.

Creation of new products and services

In an attempt to attract more international and domestic tourists, Hanoi needs to promote the brand of a safe, friendly city with high-quality and attractive products and services, according to Vu The Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association.

Hanoi and the tourism sector have offerings to meet customers' demands, which have changed in the last two years under the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Both urban and suburban areas have launched new tourist activities. Night tours to the Hoa Lo prison relic and the imperial citadel of Thang Long have attracted great interest from both domestic and international visitors.

In the suburban areas, tourists may enjoy some trips that aim to explore the beauty of nature, culture, and history, such as the trek through the Ba Vi National Park in Ba Vi District and the around-town air travel on hot-air balloons in Son Tay Town to celebrate the 200^th anniversary of the establishment of the ancient citadel there.

In December 2022, Hanoi will host an Ao Dai festival and a Hanoi photo contest, according to the director of the municipal tourism department Dang Huong Giang. The city will boost local tourism and promote golf tourism and meeting-incentive-conference-exhibition (MICE) travel.

As one of the major terminals that connect Vietnam and the world, Hanoi has partnered with other provinces and cities to provide more options for tourists when they come to the city and boost the tourism sector in the future. Accordingly, the city has signed tourism agreements with the provinces of Ninh Binh, Ninh Thuan and Ha Giang, and Lam Dong Province’s Da Lat City.

According to the director of VietSense Travel, Nguyen Van Tai, Vietnam’s tourism sector may see a boost during late 2022 and early 2023 as many festivals will be held to celebrate the new year.

“The Vietnamese tourism sector has significantly recovered after the Covid-19 pandemic. New products and services have been created with good quality for visitors, thus bringing them unforgettable and unique experiences,” he said.