Solutions for the tourism industry to achieve a breakthrough.

At the seminar "Solutions for the Tourism Industry to Achieve Breakthroughs" organized by the Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper on March 12th, many businesses reported that tourism operations are still facing numerous difficulties, even though the overall number of tourists nationwide has rapidly increased again. These difficulties affect both businesses that receive international tourists and those that organize domestic tours.

Attending the seminar were: Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh - Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration; Mr. Vu The Binh - President of the Vietnam Tourism Association; Ms. Le Truong Hien Hoa - Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism; Ms. Nguyen Thi Khanh - President of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association…

In his opening remarks at the seminar, the Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, made several observations, stating that the tourism industry is experiencing strong growth, continuously receiving prestigious awards such as: Asia's Leading Destination, Asia's Leading Natural Destination, and the World's Leading Heritage Destination. He also noted that the quality of tourism in Vietnam is steadily improving.

To develop tourism into a key economic sector , the Government recently issued Directive 08/2024 assigning specific tasks to ministries and agencies to develop the tourism industry with the goal of attracting 17-18 million international tourists and 110 million domestic tourists. According to Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, this is a very ambitious goal, and to achieve it, the tourism industry has seven key tasks. These include: finalizing the tourism development plan for 2025-2030 with a vision to 2045, awaiting Prime Minister's approval; identifying directions for implementation once the plan is issued; organizing collaborative activities to develop green and sustainable destinations, focusing on the tourist experience; and proposing changes in the content and methods of trade promotion based on segments such as community tourism, health and wellness tourism, rural tourism, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions), golf, and rail tourism.

Simultaneously, establishing overseas tourism and trade promotion offices is crucial – a weakness of Vietnam compared to other countries. The first step should be opening an office in Vientiane (Laos); developing tourism products based on potential advantages to attract domestic and international tourists, as well as increasing the rate of repeat visitors, importantly, creating suitable products to retain tourists. Research and propose solutions to remove obstacles for localities and tourism businesses, especially those related to investment and taxation. Coordinate with local authorities to manage destinations and ensure tourist safety. Strengthen digital transformation and develop databases to promote tourism.

Emphasizing that the tourism industry currently faces many difficulties, Mr. Vu The Binh - Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association - stated: "The number of tourists has increased quite rapidly, but compared to the potential and needs of the economy, it is still low. Moreover, the reality is that while the number of tourists has increased, the number of people taking tours organized by travel companies has not increased significantly."

At the seminar, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietravel - also offered some observations and suggestions to encourage tourists to visit, stay longer, and return:

"We talk a lot about visas, but in other countries, visa policies change very quickly, are flexible, and cater to the needs of visitors. We have made many efforts, but we are not as flexible as other countries."

Regarding tourism linkages to create products, the limitations lie in the lack of deep and loose connections, and the products are not yet affordable or attractive enough to attract tourists. Going forward, we propose that the strongest units in the tourism industry sit down together to support the development of overseas tourism markets and discuss specific actions to target those markets."

Ms. Phan Thi Thuy Dung, representative of Sungroup, shared that after three years of impact from the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism businesses are still deeply affected by numerous difficulties. The biggest positive sign is the increase in international visitors, but it has not yet reached expectations. In reality, many international visitors to Vietnam at this time still face barriers regarding visas and air travel.

"Therefore, we still earnestly hope that visa policies will continue to be improved and further relaxed so that Vietnam can strengthen its ability to attract new international tourist markets, compensating for the decline in large traditional markets such as China and Russia. In the short term, we can consider proposing short-term visa exemptions (from 6 months to 1 year) for tourists from some potential, large-scale markets such as China and India..." , Ms. Phan Thi Thuy Dung shared.

Expressing agreement with the opinions expressed at the seminar on solutions for the tourism industry to create breakthroughs, the Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, Nguyen Thi Khanh, looked forward to the Vietnam tourism development plan as it would be the basis for creating unique products. In Ho Chi Minh City, the City Party Committee, the People's Committee, and the Department of Tourism have already implemented cooperation programs with the rest of the country.

In addition, it is emphasized that strengthening linkages between businesses to create unique and distinctive products, avoiding duplication, is crucial, based on the cooperation between the six eastern provinces and Ho Chi Minh City. The Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association is also always conscious of its responsibility for sustainable tourism development, updating sustainable tourism programs, and saying no to plastic waste…

Source: https://www.vietravel.com/vn/nhat-ky-vietravel/giai-phap-de-nganh-du-lich-tao-dot-pha-v15254.aspx