Vietnam’s tourism sector to shift focus on shopping tours

Vietnam’s tourism sector hopes the Impressive Vietnam Grand Sale 2010 program, which will take place in August and September this year, will prompt the development of shopping tours as tourist spending in Vietnam is still small.
Nguyen Van Tuan, Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), said the tourism sector had received support from provincial departments of trade and industry to organize the program in HCMC, Danang and Hanoi. Members of the Association of Vietnamese Retailers as well as shopping centers had responded well to the program too.
The Impressive Vietnam Grand Sale 2010 is just one of the activities under this year’s “Vietnam – Your Destination” marketing campaign.
“The program is the start. We will try our best to make it a yearly program and carry out activities to develop shopping tours in the long term,” Tuan said.
According to VNAT, foreign visitors spend only 10 to 15% of their total traveling funds on shopping when visiting Vietnam. An average tourist spends a total of just US$800 in Vietnam.
Vu The Binh, Director of Department of Travel under VNAT, said, “It’s very small compared to the 50% to 55% Thailand’s tourism sector earns from shopping. We need to develop it”.
Nguyen Huu Tho, Director of Saigontourist Holding Company, said shopping tours would attract both local and international travelers.
The “One Hundred Excitements” program of HCMC is the tourism sector’s first step as it promotes the city’s best shopping centers and markets. However, the city needs to continue activities to promote shopping centers in the long term.
Tho said Saigontourist’s larger inner-city hotels would have famous brand name shops. For example, the five-star Rex Hotel will soon have a Chanel shop and the Continental Hotel will house luxury shops in the near future.
“However, we need to make more of an effort to attract local guests and others who have lower incomes,” he added.
Tuan from VNAT said that the VNAT would ask the Government to refund VAT to tourists too.
“We will submit the plan at the next meeting of the National Tourism Development Steering Committee,” he said.