Tourism sector targets 4.5m international visitors

Viet Nam’s tourism industry is targeting 4.5 million international tourists in 2010, according to Nguyen Van Tuan, general director of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
Speaking to the Dau Tu (Investment Review) newspaper, Tuan said the goal was equal to the target set for 2008.
The number would represent a growth of 15-20 per cent against 2009.
Tuan predicted an increase of 10 per cent to 4.2 million international tourists if the economy remained the same in 2010.
The industry was receiving positive support from the Government and industry associations, added Tuan.
Regulations on tourism management and expenditures supported by the national budget would create good conditions for tourism promotion, he said, adding that there were two sources of investment in the industry.
One is VND25 billion (US$1.36 million) invested in the National Action Programme on Tourism, and the other VND25 billion in the National Promotion Programme on Tourism.
According to the Finance Ministry, the expenditures for tourism promotion would reach VND40 billion in 2010.
More promotions
Recently, Viet Nam’s tourism sector has organised many events in big markets, including road shows in big cities in China and Japan; promotion programmes in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia; and new programmes in Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taichung in Taiwan.
"In the middle of December, we held the biggest promotion campaign ever in France," Tuan said. "The effect of these programmes is clear. China is an example. One company welcomed up to 3,000 tourists per month from the market after the promotion campaign."
The number of foreign visitors to Viet Nam in the first 10 months of this year fell 16.6 per cent year-on-year.
Tourism improved in November, with a drop of 12.4 per cent compared to the same period last year.
The number of foreign visitors to Viet Nam is estimated to hit 400,000 this month, which would take the 2009 total to 3.9 million, a drop of 10 per cent compared with 2008.