Vietnam Tourism Enters New Development Period

 

Indeed, 2015 was a tough year for the tourism sector. However, it was also a time when the sector received a lot of support from central and local governments. We had more favourable conditions for tourism development as highways and infrastructure systems were improved.

 

The tourism industry had four highlighted imprints in 2015. Firstly, we intercepted the declining trend and started to recover and regained momentum for a new growth cycle. Secondly, the tourism sector carried out important policies on tourism development, including Resolution 92/NQ-CP dated December 8, 2014 of the Government and Directive 14/CT-TTg of the Government and the Prime Minister. Thirdly, many major tourism projects were carried out by giant companies like Vingroup, Sun Group, FLC, Tuan Chau, Muong Thanh and world-leading hotel brands. Fourthly, we launched biggest-ever promotion and marketing activities.

 

These imprints are very important as they not only helped end the decline of international visitor arrivals and increase domestic travellers but also create the foundation and precondition for us to enter a new period of development. We have stepped into 2016 with new conditions and opportunities.

 

 

Regarding development orientations in 2016, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism guided the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) to grasp all opportunities to boost the growth of international tourist arrivals, maintain the growth of domestic tourists and increase tourism revenue. Secondly, we will have to highly concentrate on improving State management on tourism and enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of State management on tourism to improve the tourism environment. Thirdly, we will actively prepare conditions to advance adaptation and integration when the official formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the signing and joining of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will bring huge opportunities for us although they will entail numerous difficulties and challenges.

 

Regarding central tasks of the tourism industry in 2016, we will try to welcome at least 8.5 million international tourists, up about 6 per cent from 2015, and 60 million domestic tourists. Total tourism revenue will reach VND370 trillion.

 

Fourthly, we will continue to speed up promotion and marketing activities and mobilise investment resources for product, infrastructure and service development. And, we will strengthen regional connectivity as this trend is becoming popular, important and inevitable. I think our tourism industry has new opportunities as well as difficulties and challenges, which require us to have consensus on actions to overcome and step into a new development stage.

 

The tourism industry has defined three key markets: Northeast Asia - which accounts for 45-50 per cent of international tourists in Vietnam; Western Europe - North America - high-spending, long-stay tourists (1.5 million visitors a year); and ASEAN - a near market with a lot of favourable conditions, particularly as we join the ASEAN Economic Community. We are also shifting our focus on the India, Australia, New Zealand, and Middle East markets.

 

2015 marked positive progress in tourism promotion. Although the sector initially achieved positive results, it still saw weak points of tourism promotion on limited resources, unfocused investment, low professionalism, and ineffectiveness. Therefore, we will continue to advance tourism promotion in 2016 and beyond to make fundamental changes, with focus on four following orientations. Firstly, we must always associate promotion and marketing works with product markets. When we approach a market, we will define what products will be introduced and what localities and companies will join. Secondly, we must enhance methods, scale, effect and professionalism of promotion activities.