HCMC travel companies look forward to better earnings through river tours

Travel companies in Ho Chi Minh City hope that diverse and unique tourism products can tap into the potential of river tourism in the local area.

The notion was discussed at the southern city’s first-ever river festival, held on August 4-6, which offered travel companies the chance to introduce their products and services to domestic and foreign visitors.

Five new river tours were kick-started by the municipal Department of Tourism.

The new waterway tourism offerings aim to provide tourists with an experience amid the local landscapes, architecture, culture, history, and ecosystems on major rivers such as Dong Nai, Tien, and Hau.

Vietravel’s Deputy General Director Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang said the five new river tours along key city waterways will connect inner-city areas with suburbs and destinations in the southern and Mekong Delta regions.

“These are products of potential that can help tourists from home and abroad learn about Ho Chi Minh City and provide regional connections in the future,” Ms. Hoang said.

Representatives from other travel companies in the city said tours along the Saigon River were likely to increase, appealing to both domestic and foreign tourists, so looked forward to increased revenue.

Each month a travel company can cater to three or four groups of tourists, numbering from five to 20, from markets such as Europe, the US, and Australia, in addition to domestic groups.