HANOI, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's capital Hanoi expects the number of foreign visitors to reach 3 million this year, doubling last year's figure, as international borders around the world reopen, the Vietnam News newspaper reported on Friday.
Hanoi welcomed 3.2 million domestic travelers and 535,000 international visitors in January and February, who spent 13.2 trillion Vietnamese dong (557 million U.S. dollars) on staycations at hotels and tourist attractions, almost quadrupling the figure for the same period last year, said Dang Huong Giang, head of the city's tourism authorities.
Measures have been laid out in the city's efforts to position itself as a "safe-friendly-quality-attractive" destination, the official said, highlighting the contribution of tourism to Hanoi's economy.
Hanoi aims to direct its attention and resources to destination promotion to drive demand from both local and foreign travelers, with a focus on capitalizing on its cultural heritage, historical relics and traditional folk festivals, according to the tourism official.
It also plans to create new tourism products through the combination of healthcare and leisure, and update regulations to strengthen cooperation with localities and tourist destinations around the capital city.
In 2019, Vietnam received 5.8 million visitors from China, accounting for a third of its total visitors. ■