Getting through the Hard Time

As a consequence of the global financial crisis and economic downturn and the outbreak of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 in many countries, the number of foreign visitors to Vietnam in the first seven months of 2009 fell 17.8 percent compared to the same time last year.
Yet, the number of domestic tourists in the first seven months of this year was up 13 percent over the same period of 2008, while the tourism sector earned VND32.4 trillion in revenue in the seven months, 8.7 percent more than the same time in 2008.
Many measures were taken to increase the number of both foreign and domestic visitors. The Prime Minister issued a decision according to which hotels and travel businesses, which are involved in package tour provision, and transport businesses can benefit from a 50 percent reduction in VAT (the value added tax) and pay the enterprise income tax nine months later. The Prime Minister recently agreed to free foreign visitors to Vietnam from paying a visa charge. This is part of the 'Impressive Vietnam' program that is taking place here in the country to attract more tourists.
With its attractive promotions, the Impressive Vietnam helped the tourism industry obtain encouraging results.
About 90 travel businesses, 120 hotels and guesthouses, three leading transport businesses and dozens of restaurants and shopping centers now join the Impressive Vietnam. Different localities held cultural events including traditional festivals, which all helped attract visitors.
While residents and visitors are alarmed with the outbreak of influenza A virus subtype H1N1, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) told the tourism sector to be calm, keep an eye on the influenza's development to have proper control measures and assist visitors to avoid being affected by the influenza. VNAT told the IT (information technology) center to launch a column providing information about the influenza in on the Internet, through which one can learn about the influenza's development and measures to control it. Travel businesses and hotels need to work with preventive medicine departments to open workshops and training courses on influenza control for those who often meet with visitors teaching them how to avoid being affected by the influenza and tell visitors what to do when they appear to be or are already affected by the influenza.
While being active in the influenza control, the tourism sector now continues advertising and trade promotion activities to fulfill its 2009 targets. VNAT worked with travel businesses to create attractive promotions like reductions in room rates, free travel, free entrance tickets and more. The room rate of three to five star hotels have decreased more than 30 percent compared to May 2008, while the price for a tour fell 30-40 percent. From now to this yearend, the tourism sector will continue the Impressive Vietnam program and open a number of events, including a fair/exhibition on Hanoi's cultures, sports and tourism in Hanoi, a food and hotel exhibition in October in Ho Chi Minh City, and more. The sector will join international fairs/exhibitions and road shows in foreign markets to introduce about Vietnamese tourist offerings while welcoming Famtrip delegations and continuing advertising Vietnamese tourist offerings through the BBC World News channel.