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It is necessary to expand visa policies, grant visa exemptions, develop international-standard tourism products, services, and events, and improve mechanisms and policies for tourism development to remove bottlenecks in attracting international tourists to Vietnam.
These recommendations were made at the Conference on Rapid and Sustainable Tourism Development in Vietnam, chaired by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 15th.
Speaking at the conference, the Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to urgently submit to the Prime Minister for approval the Tourism System Planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2045.
To attract international tourists to Vietnam, tourism promotion needs to be strengthened further - Photo: QUANG DINH
By the end of October 2023, the total number of international tourists to Vietnam reached approximately 10 million, only 69% compared to the same period in 2019 - the time before the Covid-19 pandemic. Acknowledging that Vietnamese tourism is less attractive to international visitors, Mr. Vu The Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, suggested that the industry's promotion and marketing efforts need to be reviewed.
"The efforts to promote tourism abroad to attract international tourists to Vietnam are too limited. Many of the world's leading international trade fairs are either ignored or participated in very reluctantly, resulting in a lackluster image of Vietnamese tourism," Mr. Binh stated.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Sovico Holdings, expressed her concern, noting that beautiful international destinations such as Phu Quoc Island, Nha Trang Bay, the Central Vietnam Heritage Route of Hue - Da Nang - Hoi An, and the wonder of Ha Long Bay... are experiencing a freeze in operations, with tens of thousands of hotel rooms and entertainment and restaurant services coming to a standstill.
"We need to act urgently to bring these destinations back to life," said Ms. Thao.
Along with prioritizing more budget for tourism promotion and development, Ms. Nguyen Thai Hoai Anh, Deputy General Director of Sun Group, proposed that the Government expand unilateral visa exemptions for citizens of countries with high tourism spending and long stays such as Australia, Canada, the United States, the remaining EU countries and some countries in the Middle East...
Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky, chairman of Vietravel Holdings, suggested that the tourism industry should aim for a higher target of 18-20 million visitors in 2024, rather than the current 12-14 million.
"Setting high goals is essential for finding breakthrough solutions, developing policies, and creating the impetus for development," Mr. Ky said.
According to Deputy Minister of Public Security Luong Tam Quang, since the Law on Immigration came into effect on August 15, 2023, until November 14, approximately 5.6 million foreigners have entered Vietnam, an increase of 1.8 times compared to 2022.
Of these, 85% of foreign visitors entered for tourism purposes, while the remainder were for investment, work, visiting relatives, and studying. Regarding unilateral visa exemptions, there were over 1.25 million entries, 1.6 times higher than the previous year.
