Conference suggests solutions to recover Vietnam’s tourism growth

Statistics from the VTA have shown that while the annual growth rate of the sector in 2010 was 34.8%, the figures in the 2010-2015 period become lower every passing year: 19.1% in 2011; 13.9% in 2012; 1.6% in 2013 and 4% in 2014.

The number of international tourists in the first four months of this year saw a decrease of 12.8% over the same period of last year.

Participants at the conference pointed out the decline in the number of holidaymakers was a consequence of the unprofessional tourism promotion in the sector, overlapping among agencies working in the field, dispersal in resources for boosting tourism, and the lack of major campaigns to reform tourism and lure more visitors to the country.

Newly-promulgated regulations on tourist visas, shortcomings in State management of tourism, as well as ineffective co-ordination among localities, also caused the problem.

The delegates agreed that to recover the growth of the hospitality sector, the government should give visa exemptions to tourists to encourage them to revisit the country.

E-visas and visas on arrival should be available soon for foreign tourists at all border gates, and visa procedures should be simplified to create favourable conditions for tourists, they said.

They stressed that all resourced should be mobilised to attract more visitors to Vietnam, particularly those from the key markets of Japan, the Republic of Korea and Russia.

It is also necessary to reorganise the operation of tourist businesses at tourist sites and ensure security and safety for visitors, they added.

NDO