WORDS ON THE STREET 70th anniversary of Hanoi's Liberation Day Vietnam - Asia 2023 Smart City Summit Hanoi celebrates 15 years of administrative boundary adjustment 12th Vietnam-France decentrialized cooperation conference 31st Sea Games - Vietnam 2021 Covid-19 Pandemic
Home / Travel
Vietnam needs to spend US$20 million a year to lure foreign tourists
Ha An 21:07, 2019/08/07
International researches showed that for each foreign traveler to spend more US$1,000 in his trip, the country has to invest US$1 to US$5 per visitor in tourism promotion.
To attract 20 million foreign holidaymakers to Vietnam by 2020, Vietnam needs to spend at least US$20 million on tourism promotion activities, said a representative from the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board (TAB).
 
Hanoi to spend $4 million on CNN ads to reach global audience. Photo by Shutterstocks/Hoangduy.
Hanoi to spend $4 million on CNN ads to reach global audience. Photo by Shutterstocks/Hoang Duy.
International researches showed that for each foreign traveler to spend more US$1,000 in his trip, the country has to invest US$1 to US$5 per visitor in tourism promotion.
 
According to TAB’s representative Hoang Nhan Chinh, performing two functions at the same time, namely promotion and management, is two burdensome for the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
 
As Vietnam is projected to welcome some 18 million foreign visitors in 2019 and 20 million in 2020, the country should do more to reach the figures, especially in tourism promotion, Chinh said.
 
Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Society of Travel Agents Phung Quang Thang proposed establishing a council specializing in tourism promotion to harmonize promotion activities among the central administration, localities and industries like that of other countries such as Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, to avoid that the promotion investment becomes a waste.
 
So far, Vietnam tourism sector has only one representative office abroad. Thang said a network of multiple tourism promotion offices needs to be set up for market study and penetration.  Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore all have between 20 and 30 offices worldwide. In the Chinese and Japanese markets alone, Thailand even has four representative offices, Thang put an example.
 
Vietnam should also promote e-marketing which is low cost but effective and contemplate launching social network accounts in some targeted markets.
 
Recently, Vietnam has partnered with TikTok, a creative social media platform primarily driven by short-video to promote Vietnam’s tourism with diverse content generated by users.
 
In 2016, Forbes magazine estimated that Vietnam invested only US$2 million for tourism promotion, equivalent to 2.9% the figure of Thailand, 2.5% of Singapore and 1.9% of Malaysia.
 
The World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked Vietnam at the 80th position out of 136 countries in tourism promotion effectiveness. The rate is much lower than regional countries, after Laos (53rd) and Cambodia (73rd).
Other news
21:39, 2024/12/15
New milestone in Hanoi's night tourism development
The 'Truc Bach Night' tourism promotion program is important in furthering Hanoi's efforts to develop the night-time economy.
06:52, 2024/12/13
24 hours in Hanoi: Learning to love the city
Spending a full day in Hanoi to experience the pace of life can be an emotional and unforgettable experience for people who are just passing through, but for those who are devoted to the city, years of exploration are not enough.
11:47, 2024/12/11
Nostalgia for rice noodles with fried tofu from Hanoi's Old Quarter
Bun dau mam tom (fermented shrimp paste with fried tofu and rice noodles) is one of Hanoi's signature dishes and is favored by many visitors, including foreigners.
22:57, 2024/12/06
Finding ways to make Hanoi pho, a global dish
The recognition of Hanoi pho as a national intangible cultural heritage is a turning point to promote traditional values and open the door to the world culinary map.
19:40, 2024/12/06
Hanoi's digital pho served in Old Quarter
Smart robots can prepare and serve bowls of pho, offering a brand-new and contemporary pho dining experience.
15:00, 2024/11/18
Explore priceless artifacts at the new Vietnam Military History Museum
For history buffs, the Vietnam Museum of Military History is a must-see in Hanoi. It provides a thorough overview of Vietnamese patriotism.