At the 2023 national tourism conference, Mr. Dang Minh Truong, Chairman of the Board of Directors ofSun Group , commented that our tourist visa policies have also made progress. However, to have more breakthroughs, be competitive in the future and be sustainable, there must be stronger reforms.
" For example, in 2019 we welcomed 18 million visitors, Thailand welcomed 40 million. In 2023, our target was 8 million, but they welcomed 25 million. According to the report of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in 2030 we welcomed 35 million, while Thailand by 2027 they will have 80 million visitors. So if we do not have breakthrough solutions now, we will be left behind, " said Mr. Truong.
According to Mr. Truong, in 2019, international visitors to Vietnam were 18 million, equal to 21% of domestic visitors, but the revenue of this group accounted for nearly 2/3 because they had a long stay, from 8-12 days, even in key markets, they could stay up to 15 days, spending from 1,100 - 2,000 USD for a trip. Meanwhile, in the domestic market, visitors mainly go on weekends, with a stay of 1 to 2 days, and the spending level is not equal.
Sun Group Chairman Dang Minh Truong suggested a breakthrough in visa policy. (Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac)
Therefore, the Chairman of Sun Group Corporation proposed that ministries and branches should soon review, analyze, evaluate, submit to the Prime Minister, and report to the National Assembly to amend and supplement the provisions of the Law on Entry and Exit: " We hope that the procedures will be shortened so that they can be completed in just one session and can take effect from January 2023. Specifically, the contents of increasing the visa duration for international tourists from 90-180 days, temporary stay from 30-45 days and allowing multiple entries; for countries that unilaterally exempt entry visas, increase from 15 days to 30-45 days and also allow multiple entries ".
At the same time, the study proposes to extend or expand the subjects and countries that can be unilaterally exempted from visas, including key markets.
" For example, currently, the Australian market spends 4 billion USD/year on tourism, or Canada spends over 33 billion USD, or Nordic countries like the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, they all spend from 21 to 26 billion USD, ranking above Sweden, Norway, Denmark, countries that are currently under the visa exemption policy ," Mr. Truong stated his opinion.
Agreeing with the above proposals, General Director of VinGroup Nguyen Viet Quang said that after a year of reopening under new normal conditions, Vietnam tourism is reviving as a large number of tourists have returned.
" We completely agree with the proposed solutions such as promoting the market, expanding visa policies, providing reasonable tax and visa incentives... to attract tourists and create conditions for tourism businesses to develop," said Mr. Quang.
A representative of VinGroup added that, in addition to a systematic investment strategy in service products, Vinpearl has also proactively developed potential international tourist markets in recent times, creating new momentum for Vietnam tourism. In addition to traditional markets such as Southeast Asian countries, Russia, and China, Vinpearl has begun to exploit new sources of tourists from Korea, India, Australia, and New Zealand and has achieved positive results.
General Director of VinGroup Corporation Nguyen Viet Quang. (Photo: VGP)
Also at the conference, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of BRG Group, said that in 2023, Vietnam aims to welcome 8 million international visitors and achieve revenue of 650,000 billion VND. This is a number that requires the focus of many solutions.
"Our main target audience is currently at the high-end tourism spending level, 2-3 times higher than that of international tourists coming to Vietnam, from 200-300 USD/day and usually staying 3-4 days. Our strength is combining hotel tourism with golf. We have never had so many tourists coming to Vietnam to play golf as we do now and our golf tourism has been recognized by the world as the best golf tourism destination ," Ms. Nga informed.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, Chairwoman of BRG Group. (Photo: VGP)
Proposing some solutions to attract more tourists to Vietnam, Ms. Nga said that the Government needs to study and adjust some more appropriate tax rates. According to Ms. Nga, not to mention income tax, but if considering revenue, paying 10% VAT and 20% special consumption tax is at a high level because surrounding countries only pay 5%-7%.
Besides, diversifying products and improving the quality of tourism services will bring high efficiency.
Finally, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of BRG Group proposed to increase the visa duration from 2 to 4 weeks so that visitors have more time to travel and spend more money on tourism so that our tourism revenue can increase.
Regarding the aviation sector, at the conference, Vietnam Airlines General Director Le Hong Ha emphasized that aviation and tourism are closely related, aviation creates traffic connections between countries, and certainly needs tourists on flights.
For Vietnamese aviation, in the first two months of the year, domestic air transport increased by 12.5% compared to 2020, which is a good indicator, continuing the growth momentum of 2022. Although the speed has decreased, the previous growth rate was about 40%. This is a good result, we must continue to pay attention to infrastructure, airports and airports to ensure that domestic cargo terminals are not overloaded.
For international air transport ports, the first two months of 2023 were much better than 2022, returning to 64% of pre-pandemic levels.
"Because aviation needs to be closely and strongly linked with the tourism industry, it needs a unified program that ensures a systematic and long-term approach. To do this, the Government's leadership is needed to unify the action program," said Mr. Ha.
Vietnam Airlines General Director Le Hong Ha. (Photo: VGP)
Therefore, the General Director of Vietnam Airlines proposed four options to attract international visitors to Vietnam. First, it is necessary to welcome tourists with open immigration policies.
Next, there needs to be a National Tourism Program. It is recommended that there be a Prime Minister's Working Group on National Tourism to promote recovery and accelerate development.
At the same time, focus more on promoting and advertising tourism, mobilizing resources with the participation of ministries and branches.
Finally, continue to support businesses to return to focused investment in aviation and tourism activities to increase service quality.
This morning, March 15, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the National Online Conference on Tourism in 2023 with the theme "Accelerating Recovery - Accelerating Development".
The conference took place exactly 1 year after Vietnam reopened tourism (March 15, 2022).
Also attending were Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, leaders of ministries, branches, 63 provinces and cities, associations, tourism businesses, and airlines.
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