The Vietnamese tourism sector currently has a lot of chances to develop in the international integration process. With more than 10,000 travel firms and 4,000 accommodation units with some 120,000 rooms, Vietnam needs a sound development strategy to attract more international arrivals into the country.
Vietnamese thriving tourism
Vietnam has a steadily growing tourism sector for the past 10 years, with international visitor arrivals increasing 14 folds. According to the statistics of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), each visitor spends over US$900 in Vietnam; hence, the tourism industry generated direct revenues of over US$3 billion in 2005. The Vietnamese tourism has made a quick progress in both quality and quantity, widening cooperation and taking initiative in the integration with the region and the world. To date, Vietnam signed 27 bilateral and multilateral cooperative agreements on tourism with ASEAN countries and set up business ties with more than 1,000 tourism firms in over 60 countries and territories in the world.
According to VNAT, the tourism industry has attracted great interests of foreign investors. Many costly projects have been invested, such as US$1.2-billion multifunctional Dan Kia - Suoi Vang resort invested by four Japanese groups of Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo and Limtec in Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province; a US$200-million five-star complex of hotels, apartments and shopping centres invested by South Korea’s Kumho Asiana Group in Ho Chi Minh City; a US$300-million five-star Saigon Atlantic tourist complex invested by United States’ Winvest LLC in Vung Tau City; and US$550-million entertainment and resort project studied by Plantium Dragon Empire Group among others. In addition to complete and underway projects, many foreign investors have recently expressed their strong interests and have initial steps to have projects in Vietnam soon.
A famous place of interest
According to the forecast of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), spending by tourists will be double the current amount by 2020. With annual combined expenditures of up to US$800 billion, the tourism sector has become an important solution to maintain the strong growth and prosperity for many countries in the world. Professor John Quelch, Senior Associate Dean of Harvard Business School (US), said Vietnam can become the most famous tourist destination in the ASEAN bloc only after Thailand if it knows how to exploit their advantages.
He said the efficiency of the tourism programmes not only results from putting money into advertisement programmes but also the strength of the word of mouth of visitors to Vietnam. International events are golden chances to spread the Vietnamese tourism. The satisfaction of senior officials from the APEC economies is the most effective way to advertise the Vietnamese tourism image.
Deputy General Director of VNAT Vu Tuan Canh said Vietnam now has a strong tourism workforce. To promote the efficiency of tourism, Vietnam needs to train local tour guides, standardise and improve the level of tourism workforce nationwide; thus, helping domestic firms to have stronger workforces to develop the tourism industry.
The Vietnam Tourism Association has put forward the tourism development strategy from now until 2010 with the major target of keeping the GDP growth rate of the tourism of 11-11.5 per cent a year in the 2006-2010 period. In 2006, Vietnam hopes to serve 3.8 international visitors arrivals and 15-16 domestic visitors, earning total revenues of over US$2 billion. In 2010, the volume of international visitor arrivals into Vietnam will reach 5.5-6 million and the domestic arrivals will reach 25-26 million, generating a tourism turnover of US$4.5 billion.
P.V
Vietnamese
