According to the General Statistics Office’s figure, in the first seven months of 2007, the number of international visitor arrivals to Vietnam reached 2.46 million, an increase of 16.2 per cent against the same period last year. To reach this striking figure, the tourism industry and tourism firms have made great efforts in technology application such as the online sale of tourism services.
Vietravel has become the first travel company in Vietnam to apply e-tour service. Only six months after launching a website for e-tour services, it has received 400,000 visitors. This website receives an average of 30,000 visitors each day. This domestic success has stimulated Vietravel to advertise this service in the US market, targeting the 700,000 overseas Vietnamese in California. On this occasion, Vietravel signed contracts with two other tourism general agencies, Sunlight Travel and Saigontravel & Tours. The company expects to expand and introduce e-tour services in other countries such as France, Germany and Switzerland in the coming time. The successful launch of e-tour has promoted tourism websites. Many tourism websites has become popular such as
www.saigon.tourist.com, www.dulichvn.org.vn, www.Vietnamtourism.com.vn. Many hotels have accessed online tourism marketing via tourism information ports such as www.hotels.com.vn., , . Many hotels have accessed online tourism marketing via tourism information ports such as .
According to the research of E-marketer Market Company, the E-tour service market in the Asian region is forecast to have a high growth rate this decade. Between 2006 and 2010, Vietnam is forecast to grow 202 per cent, while growth in China and Indonesia is 70-83 per cent. Mr Jeffrey Grau, an expert of E-marketer, said many international tourism websites are now marketing online tourism services in Asia. The majority of tourism management companies expect high profits, thanks to tourism growth in these markets. Vietnamese localities with good tourism potential have been in tune with the E-tour trend. A series of tourism websites have been introduced, including
www.huefestival.com and www.hoian-hotel.com. and .
With more than 1,000 foreign tours and 500 domestic tours,
www.vietral.com.vn not only provides convenience in tour ordering to travellers, but also has a diverse content such as introduction of international and domestic attractive tourism destinations, striking tourism events, consultancy about useful and practical tourism. Besides tour programmes, www.travel.com.vn also provides other services for tourists, including aviation, railway and resorts. not only provides convenience in tour ordering to travellers, but also has a diverse content such as introduction of international and domestic attractive tourism destinations, striking tourism events, consultancy about useful and practical tourism. Besides tour programmes, also provides other services for tourists, including aviation, railway and resorts.
However, Vietnamese websites, with the exception of e-payment with international cards such as visa and master cards, have to use the services of foreign partners such as 2checkout.com. Although it costs time and money, e-payment is suitable for foreign travellers. In addition to the two models of money transfer and cash, Vietravel is also negotiating with banks to accept payment via SMS, credit cards and domestic cards. With Payment Gateway Onepay, Vietnam’s online tourism website is developing prospects for the future, as Onepay not only allows e-payment with international cards but also with ATM accounts, especially ATMs of foreign trade banks in the short term. Websites which are not famous, and ineffective in online transaction, are not Onepay’s partners.
Kim Bao
Vietnamese
