The Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association will petition the central government to allow foreign companies and foreigners working in foreign-invested companies to join the association for the development of tourism industry, an association source said.
At a recent review meeting, association chairman Nguyen Huu Tho said the association would complete a proposal to seek the permission from the government.
“We want local and foreign companies to work together, exchanging experiences and organizing joint promotion programs,” he said, explaining that foreign companies had good experience on tourism management and market expansion, and enjoy wide networks around the world, so they could be of great help to the city’s hospitality industry, improving knowledge and service standards.
“Many foreign companies and individuals have shown interest in joining our association. We want to admit these companies, to create win-win solutions,” he revealed.
Foreign companies and foreigners working for foreign-invested companies are not allowed to join the tourism association as members, but they can join trade clubs of the association such as the Ho Chi Minh City Chefs Club and the Bartenders Club.
Tho and his association not only wants to admit foreign members, but also wants other market players in the city join the association to make it stronger for competition.
The association now has a membership of 81, most of them hotels, tour operators and other tourist service providers. However, the association targets an additional 150 companies as new corporate members, and 500 new individual members next year.
“The city has 400 travel companies and 800 hotels, and many related-service companies. We want to promote the association’s image to these companies to lure them into the association,” he said.
Last week, some foreign-invested travel firms in the city met to discuss business issues in the country. They wanted to establish a working group or an association to jointly settle certain outstanding problems in the tourism industry.
The biggest city of Vietnam expects to welcome 2.65 million international visitors and earn tourism revenue of VND19.5 trillion ($1.2 billion) in 2007, up 10 per cent and 20 per cent on-year respectively.
(VietNamNet, SGT)
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