Speaking at the meeting, General Director of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Nguyen Van Tuan said that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and VNAT highly appreciate the initiative of Tourism Advisory Board establishment and also thanked the European Union Delegation for their strongly support and considering the TAB's establishment an important activity in ESRT Programme. 

   

He also stressed that the public private partnership will be a major breakthrough in professionalization of the Vietnam tourism industry, as stated in the Strategy for Tourism Development in Vietnam to 2020, with vision to 2030. Moreover, it will enhance Vietnam's competitiveness and make it an attractive global destination.

At the meeting, Ian Lyne, the Team Leader for the TAB Project expressed to the selected members of the TAB, the significance of gathering some of the most influential stakeholders and the dramatic contribution that could be made by the group, in mainstreaming tourism as a key sector of Vietnam's economy.

Mr. Bryan Fornari, Deputy Head of Cooperation and Development Section, Governance and Economic Cooperation of the EU Delegation said "The Advisory Board will support MCST and VNAT to benefit from the real expertise of industry representatives, to leverage financial and human resources, and ensure that the government's administrative framework is aligned with the strategies and objectives of the industry at large". 

       

The TAB meeting was a chance to bring together the key players from the private and public stakeholders of the tourism industry and to provide an open and ongoing dialogue to better promote and lobby the development of trade, commerce and investment in Vietnam's tourism industry.

The next meeting of the TAB will take place in early 2013.

The creation of the Tourism Advisory Board was initially recommended by the Tourism Working Group (TWG) at the Vietnam Business Forum in 2009 and was eventually adopted by VNAT and funded by the European Union via the ESRT Programme in 2010. Such forums for exchanging information and knowledge in the form of Tourism Advisory Boards contributed significantly to the development of successful tourism destinations over the world and effective utilisation of their resources.

The TAB consists of more than 20 big-guns in the tourism industry, ranging from CEOs of hotels, travel agencies, transportation businesses, chairmans of tourism associations, leaders of training institutions, representatives from Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and EuroCham, to high ranking officials from the public sector.

The mission of the TAB is to increase Vietnam's competitive advantage as a sustainable tourism and travel destination by leveraging the country's public and private resources, thus creating a cohesive and comprehensive industry strategy.

Hong Thanh