By 2024, Vietnam's tourism industry aims to cater to 17-18 million international arrivals and around 110 million domestic visits, up 30% and 2%, respectively.

Foreign travelers in Hanoi. Photo: Hanoi Tourism Department

To make the goal attainable, Chairman of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Nguyen Trung Khanh presented seven breakthrough solutions at a tourism conference entitled "Solutions for the Tourism Sector to Achieve Breakthroughs" held recently in Ho Chi Minh City.

The solutions include completing the Tourism Master Plan for the 2025-2030 period, with a vision for 2045. Once the plan is approved by the Prime Minister, the tourism industry will set the direction for implementation. The sector will foster connectivity, develop green and sustainable destinations, and focus on the tourist experience.

A foreign traveler in Hoi An Ancient Town, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. Photo: Nguoi Hoi An Group

Khanh said the sector would propose content and innovative commercial promotion methods based on these segments: community-based tourism, wellness tourism, rural tourism, MICE tourism, golf tourism, and railway tourism. In addition, Vietnam will set up trade and tourism promotion offices abroad, with Vientiane (Laos) as the first planned location.

Meanwhile, he said it's needed to develop tourism products based on potentials and advantages to attract domestic and foreign tourists and, more importantly, to retain them with suitable products.

"It's necessary to research and propose solutions to remove obstacles for localities and tourism businesses, especially investment and tax issues.

Sixthly, to work with local authorities to manage destinations to ensure the safety of tourists, and step up digital transformation and develop tourism databases," said Khanh.

According to VNAT statistics, Vietnam welcomed 12.6 million international tourist arrivals in 2023, exceeding the annual target of around eight million, and catered for around 108 million domestic arrivals.

Speaking at the conference, Le Truong Hien Hoa, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, said HCMC topped the list of all 63 localities contributing to Vietnam's tourism sector in 2023, both in terms of arrivals and tourism revenue.

Ho Chi Minh City welcomed nearly five million international visitors and served 35 million domestic travelers last year, generating revenues of over VND160 trillion ($6.5 billion) in 2023. The city has set a target of welcoming six million international visitors and earning VND190 trillion (US$7.8 billion) in tourism revenue this year.

A girl crosses the vivid Bui Vien Walking Street in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Mekong Smile

“On the other hand, to develop the tourism sector, Ho Chi Minh City also focuses on solutions to develop human resources and new, characteristic tourism products. Specifically, each district has perfected one characteristic product to draw tourists. As for promotional activities, the city's tourism sector has organized various tourism and promotion events...”, he added.

At present, Vietnam's promotion of its tourism abroad is effective; in particular, the new visa policy has had a strong impact. The department had been using the media and actively promoting destinations even before the policy was introduced, so the results achieved are commendable, the VNAT executive said.

Regarding Hanoi's tourism industry, Nguyen Hong Minh, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Tourism Department, said the department has drawn up a tourism development plan for 2024 with several groups of special tasks and solutions, including several groups of prioritized breakthrough solutions. Regarding the strategic management of tourism activities, the department has consulted with the city government to issue a separate conclusion on the city's tourism development in the new situation in 2024-2025.Concerning the groups of breakthrough policies to comprehensively develop tourism in the capital in the coming period, the department has proactively researched, advised, and submitted to the Hanoi People's Council a number of specific mechanisms and policies to support the development of tourist destinations, as well as models of community-based, agro and rural tourism in the capital.

"We are also working with organizations and experts at home and abroad to conduct surveys and censuses to perfect the system of statistical indicators and the database of the capital's tourism industry. This will help us design strategies to develop tourism products that meet the new needs of tourists," said Nguyen Hong Minh.

Regarding new product development, Hanoi's tourism sector will focus on offering unique and attractive products to groups. It will also develop a comprehensive, professional program to promote the city on strategic international media and television channels such as CNN, CNBC, or TikTok.

Dreamy Hanoi in the fog. Photo: Nguyen Duc Long

Pham Quy Huy, CEO of Kiwi Travel, said that with the current relatively high price of domestic air tickets, Vietnamese travelers often choose to travel abroad rather than domestically. While Vietnam strives to attract international visitors, this trend among Vietnamese tourists is a major obstacle to linking and developing long-term inbound tours.

To improve the experience for travelers, he recommended that the tourism sector not only attract visitors but also realign the peak travel season for each region, such as the central coastline or the northwestern mountains. Tourism businesses should also look at ways to work together more effectively to promote domestic travel and attract overseas tourists.