Mastercard looks to drive growth with the tourism industry

On May 27, in Hanoi, Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh had a meeting and worked with Mr. Sharad Jain, Acting Chief Representative of Mastercard in Vietnam to discuss the direction of cooperation and companionship with the Vietnamese tourism industry in the coming time.

Director of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh (left) had a meeting and worked with Mr. Sharad Jain, Acting Chief Representative of Mastercard in Vietnam.

Attending the meeting were Deputy Director Ha Van Sieu and representatives of units under the Vietnam National Tourism Administration.

Strategic direction in the digital age

The meeting not only affirmed Mastercard's deep interest in the Vietnamese tourism market, but also opened up new prospects in applying financial technology, big data and modern marketing to destination promotion.

This is a positive sign that the Vietnamese tourism industry is gradually professionalizing promotion activities, shifting from the traditional promotion model to an approach based on data and consumer behavior.

Mastercard representative, Mr. Sharad Jain highly appreciated the potential of Vietnam tourism in the post-pandemic context: "According to data from Mastercard, after the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam is the country with the leading recovery rate in Southeast Asia".

He said key markets such as Korea, China, India, Australia... are growing rapidly, with prominent destinations such as Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Ha Long, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang all being popular with international tourists and having high spending levels.

Mastercard is not only a global brand providing financial and payment solutions, but also stands out with its ability to analyze market data, design marketing solutions based on consumer behavior and multi-industry connectivity.

“Based on analytical data on characteristics, needs, and spending of tourists on accommodation, travel, shopping, entertainment, dining, etc., it will help to better understand the spending behavior of international tourist markets when traveling in Vietnam, thereby creating plans and strategies to attract international tourists, enhance experiences, and better meet the needs of tourists,” Mr. Sharad Jain emphasized.

Vietnam needs strategic data to welcome wave of international tourists

Director Nguyen Trung Khanh highly appreciated Mastercard's cooperation proposal, while emphasizing the importance of leveraging the strengths of global corporations.

“With its position as a world- leading corporation, Mastercard can effectively contribute to promoting communication and promoting Vietnam tourism, facilitating the provision of useful information for international tourists to learn about and decide to choose Vietnam as a destination in the near future,” said Mr. Khanh.

He said that one of the key tasks of the tourism industry today is to promote the image of the country, people and culture of Vietnam to the world. “International tourists are the most effective tourism promotion ambassadors,” Mr. Khanh emphasized.

In particular, in the context of increasingly fierce destination competition, capturing market trends, customer tastes and consumer behavior based on big data will help Vietnam adjust policies and promotional activities effectively, optimizing resources.

The Director also commented that international tourists are currently exploring new destinations, so promotion strategies also need to be innovative, flexible and based on specific data from each market.

Partnering with Mastercard is essential for tourism to not only recover, but thrive sustainably.

Strengthening promotional capabilities through technology and market analysis

At the meeting, Ms. Thuy Tran, representative of Mastercard, affirmed her commitment to long-term cooperation with the Vietnamese tourism industry: "Mastercard is ready to join hands with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to implement activities to attract international tourists, improve tourist experiences, and contribute to the growth goals of the Vietnamese tourism industry."

Deputy Director Ha Van Sieu also appreciated the specific proposals of the partners, especially in providing reports analyzing the behavior and spending of international visitors, considering it a valuable source of information to build a market promotion plan.

He suggested that the two sides should coordinate to develop a set of indicators to evaluate the results of implementing cooperation activities, thereby ensuring the quality and effectiveness of the program.

This is the right direction in the context that Vietnam lacks an in-depth tourism database system and has not effectively exploited data from tourists' spending behavior and consumer tastes to adjust strategies.

The involvement of financial technology partners like Mastercard will help the tourism industry access real data, helping to "quantify" the market instead of just relying on emotions and judgments as before.

Expectation of long-term and effective cooperation

Director Nguyen Trung Khanh said that Mastercard's proposals have practical significance in many aspects: market research, understanding tourists' needs and tastes; supporting domestic and international promotion activities; organizing seminars and talks; promoting digital communications and especially applying technology to enhance tourist experiences.

Mr. Khanh affirmed: “Mastercard is a world-leading prestigious corporation, providing solutions in finance, technology, marketing and communications, and a number of other fields.”

Joining hands with a global corporation like Mastercard will not only help promote Vietnam's destinations more effectively, but also help the tourism industry enter a development phase based on technology and data.

“Vietnam is a prominent brand destination and is increasingly receiving global attention. The cooperation between the two sides will be a new step forward for Vietnam tourism,” the Director emphasized.

To implement the cooperation contents, the Director said that he will assign the focal unit to work specifically with Mastercard, and at the same time report to the leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to ask for instructions.

He hopes that the cooperation program will soon be implemented in practice through specific activities, bringing clear results, contributing to promoting sustainable growth of Vietnam's tourism in the coming time.

The working session between the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and Mastercard is a strategic step in modernizing national tourism promotion activities.

This is a model of effective public-private partnership, in which the state sets the direction and businesses provide modern tools to optimize implementation.

Using tourist spending data as an indicator of “market sentiment” not only helps in policy making but also creates a premise for developing a smart tourism ecosystem.

As Vietnam aims to welcome 35 million international visitors by 2030, partnerships like the one with Mastercard are essential for tourism to not only recover, but also grow sustainably.

According to Culture Newspaper

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/mastercard-mong-muon-cung-nganh-du-lich-thuc-day-tang-truong-2025052811175083.htm