Vietnam takes tourism international

The goal of the tourism sector is to attract 5.5mil international visitors and 25mil domestic tourists, earning revenues of US$4-5bil by 2010, doubling that of 2005.

Three projects of the National Tourism Action Plan include: diffusing, advertising and promoting tourism; diversifying and improving product quality; strengthening the institution and developing human resources.

Not limited to newspapers, books and films o­n the land and people of Vietnam, advertising will include tourist information kiosks at international airports, land and sea border-gates, large advertisements at traffic centres and signposts at tourist sites in large cities.

Vietnam will also promote itself through international fairs, foreign TV channels and newspapers to introduce images of the country. Target markets are the Middle East, Japan, the Republic of Korea, ASEAN, Europe and North America.

VNAT says it will hire foreign experts to help advertise travel in Vietnam. According to Dr Pham Tu, VNAT Deputy Head, some Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Thailand also hire foreign consultants to develop the industry.

The government has agreed with VNAT o­n the plan but the Ministry of Finance has yet to release regulations o­n foreign advisors.

Quality is an issue for tourism managers. A lack of hotels, simple souvenirs, overexploitation of sites, and pollution are also eroding the trust of domestic and foreign visitors and the tourism sector has tried to deal with them.

The tourism industry will also improve quality in certain provinces through the ‘tourism years’ symbol. This year, central Quang Nam Province, with two world heritage sites, will take precedence, and 2007 will be the year for northern Thai Nguyen Province. In 2008, Can Tho will bring into full play its advantages in the Mekong Delta and 2009 will be the year to develop the national tourism sector in general. 2010 will be the year for Hanoi o­n the 1,000^th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi.

Tourism agencies will also upgrade immigration, tax, customs and aviation formalities and foreign visitors will receive value added tax (VAT) refunds when they purchase goods in Vietnam.

According to Dr Pham Tu, the tourism industry will concentrate o­n advertising and promotion in the next several years. The sector has initially gained success through slogans like “Vietnam – the Destination of the New Millennium” and “Vietnam – the Hidden Charm”.

The National Tourism Action Programme 2000-05 also marked certain achievements: foreign visitors in 2005 hit 3.5mil and domestic tourists hit 16mil, double those of 1998. Hotel rooms increased three-fold times while tourism workers, and their incomes, doubled.