The hospitality industry in Vietnam has set a goal to reach an annual growth of 10-20 per cent from now to 2010, bringing a US$4-5 billion turnover under the national action program on tourism development, said an official from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
The country hopes to welcome six million of international visitors and 25 million of domestic ones in 2010.
“The development strategy will open up bright opportunities for both local and foreign travel investors,” the VNAT official said, adding that, investment, joint-venture, human resources training cooperation in this sector will be also offered a driving force to further develop.
In addition, Vietnam has lured more and more overseas arrivals for its new and attractive tourism features compared to top favorite places in ASEAN region namely Thailand and Singapore, the official emphasized.
In the near future, the Vietnamese tourism industry will be more exciting with the participation of Holding Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE), which is now becoming a new profitable business for the local travel agents.
To realize the objective for the next five years, the sector has diversified tourism forms in mountainous, delta, costal and island regions. Many new special tours have been opened like walking, climbing to mountains, carves, trans-Viet by bikes, motorbikes and cars, countryside and ecotourism.
For the past five years, the Vietnamese Government has financed over VND2.1 trillion ($130 million) to facilitate infrastructure of key works. Besides, tens of thousands billion dong for this have been mobilized from various economic sectors in the country.
Notably, the sector has paid much attention to launching tourism promotion campaigns both inside and outside the country, focusing on fairs such as Top Resa in France, ITB in Germany and those in Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and England. Meanwhile, road shows were also held in Germany, France, Australia and North-Europe.
In the same move, the Department of Tourism Promotion, this functions as an important body specializing in working out development plans and carrying out advertisement programs for the tourism industry, has been set up.
Vietnam also plans to opens more representative offices abroad, particularly in key markets like France and Japan.
To date, the South-Asian nation has licensed 190 foreign direct investment projects worth $4.6 billion.
Vinanet
Vietnamese
