Ho Chi Minh City has seen an annualized rise in the number of international tourists and revenue from tourism in the year to date.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism on Monday quoted the municipal People’s Committee as saying that the southern metropolis has welcomed 3.9 million international visits so far this year, a year-on-year increase of seven percent.

Tourism revenue has hit VND78.7 trillion (US$3.7 billion), up 4 percent compared to the same period last year.

The city has paid considerable attention to river tourism and has built new ports in a bid to better tap into its tourism potential, the committee said.

It currently has seven state-invested ports and tourism wharfs, which are slated for operation by the end of this year.

In addition, another 11 tourism wharfs, which are currently under construction, are set to come on stream next year.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the city has launched several programs to draw more local and international tourists from now to year-end.

One of the highlights is the 2014 Ho Chi Minh City Tourism and Shopping Program, which is scheduled to run at 23-9 Park in the downtown area from Thursday to December 31.

The program will have representatives from almost 500 local shopping malls, hotels, and restaurants with over 1,000 stalls offering numerous culinary and entertainment delights.

Meanwhile the Consumer Promotion Fair, slated to take place from December 28 to January 3, 2015 at Phu Tho Sports Hall – at 219 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, District 11 – also promises to lure a large number of tourists.

The fair will boast nearly 400 booths which offer a wide variety of textile, food, and footwear products.

Another highlight, “Mon Ngon Cac Nuoc” (Countries’ Delicacies) Cuisine Fest, is set to be organized at 23-9 Park from Thursday to Sunday.

This year’s fest, which has grown into many local and international tourists’ favorite year-end rendezvous in the past several years, will feature the culinary delights of 60 hotels and restaurants from 20 countries and territories.

Tourism officials also plan to hold a ceremony at Tan Son Nhat International Airport to welcome the first international visitors to the city on New Year’s Day.

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