VIETNAM is aiming to attract more than four million tourists in 2010 and to the end of July the figure had reached 2.91 million international arrivals, up 34.9 per cent on the same period last year.
In a recent interview with the Saigon Times, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism’s general director Nguyen Van Tuan said that, as well as the global recovery following last year’s downturn, the country has also received additional visitors due to the earlier uncertain situation in Thailand.
“We have taken full advantage of chances created by outside situations,” he said. “Instability in Thailand brought Vietnam an opportunity to receive tourists who redirected their trips to Vietnam, Malaysia or Singapore instead of Thailand.”
But he added that long-haul travellers often consider the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, including Vietnam and Thailand, as one destination which has affected recovery in this sector.
However source markets from within Asean, China and Northeast Asia are performing well and Tuan said that, after a decade of development from 2000 to 2010, Vietnam’s tourism industry has created a steady foundation and recognised brand.
He said that during the downturn Vietnam had taken a three-pronged approach to encouraging growth, firstly seeking to attract investment, which reached $8.8 billion in the tourism service and hotel sector last year, secondly, focusing on developing tourist products and infrastructure and thirdly, pumping resources into promoting the destinations in key source markets, particularly China, Northeast Asia and Asean.
And as the recovery continues Vietnam will continue to focus on these important markets and Western Europe and the US as well as emerging trade from areas such as Australia and Russia.