Ho Chi Minh City will adopt a host of measures to develop tourism in the time to come in tandem with promoting the development of the night-time economy to attract more visitors, according to Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa.

The southern city will develop more tourism products and improve the application of information technology to boost tourism, she told a Q&A session at the 10th meeting of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council on July 11.

A livelier and more exciting night-time economy will help increase tourist spending, she said. Some areas, such as Districts 1 and 3, are creating vehicle-free pedestrian malls at night and holding cultural and sports activities and offering various shopping opportunities.

The Department will coordinate with relevant agencies to introduce regulations to ensure security and sanitation as well as review existing regulations to extend opening times for areas boosting their night-time economy.

In the first half of this year, domestic and international tourists to Ho Chi Minh City increased 48 per cent and 306 per cent year-on-year, respectively. Total tourism revenue was estimated at over VND48 trillion ($2.02 billion).