Discount Tours To Increase Visitor Arrivals

The campaign to discount tour prices in 2010 is part of the 2010 Tourism Promotion Program entitled, "Vietnam: Your Destination" launched in August-September 2010 by the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, and the Trade Promotion Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The program is to increase domestic and foreign visitor arrivals, particularly high-spending, long-stay tourists, and set up tourist shopping centers to boost production and sales of consumer goods.
Almost 100 shopping facilities in Hanoi took part in the 2010 discount tour campaign. These are trading centers, supermarkets and specialized shops. Tourists just need to show their passport or identity card to receive a Tourist Privilege Card, or a shopping coupon, to buy VAT-free goods there.
Now that the campaign has been in place for two months, it has brought about high efficiency to well-established producers and traders who have made the most of the campaign to advertise their products/brand names and increase sales.
Nguyen Manh Cuong, the deputy head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said that tourism is a large economic sector that greatly involves commerce. However, current tourist spending in Vietnam is low. For this reason, the tour price discount campaign is to stimulate tourists to shop in the low tourist season. In the time being, it will be necessary to renew activities to not only stimulate tourism but also create interest for local people.
Luu Duc Ke, the director of Hanoitourist Co., said that shopping is an important part of a tour. There are many craft villages in Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular that have on offer a wide variety of handmade articles, which are attractive to domestic and foreign visitors. However, sale services are not really good. This explains why the discount tour campaign in Hanoi in 2010 is expected to draw visitors.
Many businesses said that discount shopping tours are very successful in Malaysia and Thailand and that competent organizations should launch bigger and better discount tour programs annually to allure tourists, following the success for the campaign in August-September this year./.