Last year, Vietnam's tourism industry saw success despite national and global economic difficulties, including millions of foreign tourists visiting Vietnam. This year, the industry planned to welcome 7.2 million international visitors and 35 million domestic passengers, and is targeting total revenue of VND190 trillion (equivalent to US$9.5 billion).
Deputy Director of Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism Hoang Thi Diep said, "Last year, many tourism businesses fell in troubles, for example, bankruptcy. However, this phenomenon mainly occurred in non-professional small businesses. Major tourism businesses were thriving due to good management and a skilled work force."
The decreased number of European visitors to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City was offset by an increase in the number of foreign visitors to other tourist attractive destinations in Danang, Khanh Hoa, and Binh Thuan. Particularly, Khanh Hoa emerged as the most popular and the most preferred destination of Russian tourists. These new destinations will be key for tourism industry to develop this year which was predicted to be faced with many difficulties and challenges.
Commenting on the tourism market this year, Deputy Director of Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Manh Cuong said, "Domestic and international economic difficulties will continue to challenge the tourism industry this year. However, the tourism industry continues to attach importance to cooperation on all aspects of international bilateral and multilateral cooperation with the aim of taking advantage of the experience and support of other countries and international organizations to promote the image of Vietnam internationally, striving to welcome 7.2 million international visitors and 35 million domestic tourists, and reach an annual tourism revenue of VND190 trillion."
The tourism industry will coordinate with the Red River Delta provinces to organize the National Tourism Year Red River Delta-Hai Phong 2013 and prepare the conditions for organizing the National Tourism Years in 2014 and 2015; promote Tourism E-marketing and the Vietnamese tourism branding associated with the new logo and slogan; deploy schemes to attract tourists from eight key tourism markets including China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, France, and Russia; and maintain high-professional travel management and service activities.
In addition, the industry will also implement a number of key tasks including focusing on the completion and amendment of the legal tourism documents and proposals to submit to the Prime Minister and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; guiding the implementation of Decree amending Decree 92/2007/ND-CP; implementing the Vietnam Tourism Development Strategy to 2020, with Vision towards 2030, and tourism development projects.
Minister Hoang Tuan Anh appreciated and recognized the efforts of the whole tourism industry to overcome economic difficulties to achieve positive results and proposed target, contributing to developing the industry into a key economic sector. As the national and global economies will continue to face difficulties and challenges this year, the tourism industry should strive to implement the set objectives with focus on building hospitality-based environment-friendly tourism. He also asked related industries to closely coordinate with authorities in the Red River Delta region to ensure the successful organization of the National Tourism Year 2013, especially the conservation and exploitation of the world heritage of Ha Long.
To carry out these tasks, the tourism industry should prepare suitable tourism development policies and propose to relevant authorities for approval, with a view to removing difficulties for tourism companies such as land taxes; continue to promote Vietnam's tourism brands and key markets to attract more tourists to Vietnam in the near future.