Deputy Director General of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Nguyen Manh Cuong spoke to open the seminar. The seminar had participations of Deputy Director General of VNAT Hoang Thi Diep and over 120 delegates, experts from Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; VNAT; tourism-related ministries and industries; Vietnam Tourism Association; some research institutes; number of departments of culture, sports and tourism in provinces and cities; universities and colleges; tourism enterprises.

The strategy on Vietnam tourism development in the period 2001 – 2010 was approved by Prime Minister at the Decision No 97/2002/QĐ-TTg in 2002. The strategy includes some main missions: tourism product creation, promotion, technique and material facilities investment, human resource training, technology science research and application, international integration and cooperation, territorial organizations on tourism development.

The seminar aims to assess the strengths, weaknesses, successes, restrictions and causes in implementation of the strategy on Vietnam tourism development in the period 2001 – 2010. It’s basis to construct the strategy on Vietnam tourism development in the period 2011 – 2020, and for 2030 vision.

During the seminar, the experts from Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; tourism-related ministries and industries; some departments of culture, sports and tourism in provinces and cities and universities presented their speeches and ideas. They focus on some great matters such as: state apparatus organization of tourism; human resource training; tourism promotion; tourism product development; region and industry linkage; tourism environment protection…

Many profound ideas about Vietnam tourism development processes in the last periods were expressed such as: determining frequently the location of Vietnam tourism in the area and the world, creating trademark for Vietnam tourism as well as each tourism product in Vietnam, reviewing tourism effect assessment targets, raising tourism development awareness, exchanging experience lessons in tourism investment and development. The delegates desire to develop tourism on basis of Vietnam tourism resources; strengthen historic-cultural and ecologic tourism as well as beach tourism; develop tourism to alleviate poverty. For tourism promotion, many ideas mention the relation between the State and enterprises in destination and tourism promotions, role of Tourism Association, tourism events and festivals must be organized with significance, unique content, avoiding the creation of same products among different provinces.

VNAT received many experts’ ideas about tourism development from the seminar. These are the significant and value ideas for tourism management, people working in tourism industry and especially for the experts designing the strategy on Vietnam tourism development in the next period.

Thuy Hang