Vietnam tourism promotion remains weak, in part due to limited budgets and a lack of professionalism, said an expert in an interview with DTiNews.
Dr. Pham Trung Luong, , Deputy Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research
Dr. Pham Trung Luong, Deputy Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research, said “The Vietnamese tourism market’s development is natural, but no thanks to the promotion.”
“For many years, Vietnam’s tourism promotion has almost stayed the same. This proves our tourism promotion is very weak, so any adverse global event can lead to a fall in foreigners coming to Vietnam,” Luong said.
He said travellers generally come to Vietnam because of what they have learned from other people, rather than through promotional programmes.
“It is important to define what foreign visitors need to know about our country to carry out promotion activities,” Luong said.
“We have limited budget, but the way we promote our tourism sector is also unprofessional. With the modest funds, we should think how to use the money effectively, prioritising important things.”
Vietnam’s tourism products focus mainly on tours and the natural landscape, but are mainly short-term visits. The local tourism sector has yet to develop any product to attract travellers for longer stays.
Luong said market research suggested Vietnam’s tourism promotion is spare and sketchy.
To improve the situation, he suggested that the tourism sector should build special products to be introduced abroad. “It is essential to define what foreigners want to know about Vietnam so we can showcase our country at international tourism fairs”, Luong said.
He said it would help if government administrative processes could be streamlined. “Before joining world tourism events, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has to submit its project, which must then be considered by many agencies for many times. This has been a problem for the promotion activities.”
Đăng ký: VietNam News
