HCMC has worked out some proposals concerning visa policy, including offering unilateral visa exemptions for major markets and establishing representative offices in foreign countries.
These proposals will be discussed at the forthcoming meeting of the State Steering Committee for Tourism.
Specifically, to attract tourists from major markets, Vietnam needs to improve the visa policy for international tourists.
In addition to issues concerning travel management, accommodation and tour guides, HCMC also suggests setting up tourism representative offices in important markets like the U.S., western Europe, Japan and South Korea to effectively promote tourism images of destinations in Vietnam.
Besides, there should be incentive tax policies for over-30-seat vehicles transporting tourists to encourage investment in high-quality vehicle fleets for tourists.
In preparation for the meeting of the State Steering Committee for Tourism which will be held in the near future, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has organized meetings with enterprises in HCMC, Danang and Hanoi to collect their opinions and suggestions.
At the meeting in HCMC, the ministry mentioned a new travel stimulus program and called for participation of enterprises nationwide, aiming to attract more tourists in 2013 when tourism is forecast to remain in difficulty.
According to the HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the number of international tourists coming to HCMC this year is estimated to be around 3.8 million, rising by 10% year-on-year and accounting for 55% of the country's total number. Besides, the city's tourism revenue reached some VND65 trillion this year.