Viet Nam’s tourism competitiveness is lower than other ASEAN countries, said participants at a seminar focusing on Viet Nam’s tourism competitiveness in Ho Chi Minh City on November 30.
According to the World Economic Forum, Viet Nam’s tourism stood at the 75th place out of 141 countries in 2015, while the Philippines ranked 74th, Indonesia 50th and Singapore 11th.
Therefore, improving tourism competitiveness is an urgent task, they stressed.
Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Head of the Viet Nam Institute for Tourism Department Research said that Viet Nam failed to optimise its advantages such as beautiful landscapes, long-lasting history, rich culture and locals’ hospitability.
Poor transport infrastructure and lack of preferential policies for tourists are reducing Viet Nam’s tourism competitiveness.
Nguyen Thi Khanh from the HCM City Tourism Association emphasised the need for the engagement of all sectors and localities with concrete plans to make tourism a key economic sector.
To raise tourism competitiveness, Nguyen Van Len, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of An Giang province suggested improving transport and telecommunication infrastructure and facilitating tourists’ activities.