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Aug 17, 2019 / 18:34

Vietnam debates measures to lure more foreign visitors amid tourism slowdown

The growth rate of international tourists to Vietnam is mainly depending on three large source markets including South Korea, Taiwan (China) and Thailand.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism held a seminar in Danang on August 16 to discuss solutions to promote the growth of international travelers to Vietnam, which is showing signs of slowing down, VnExpress reported. 
 
Visitors are watching a performace in Danang.
Visitors are watching a performace in Danang.
In  the first seven months of this year, the number of Chinese visitors to Vietnam, which is the country’s largest tourism source market, decreased 2.8% year-on-year while the figure for the period 2017-2018 increased 34%. This decrease seems to be affected by a slowdown of the Chinese economy caused by the US-Sino trade war. 

Meanwhile, the number of South Korean visitors to Vietnam increased by 434,000 year-on-year or 22.1%, fewer than an increase of 706,000 in the same period last year or 56% year-on-year.

The growth rate of international tourists to Vietnam is mainly depending on three large source markets including the South Korea, Taiwan (China), and Thailand.

As Vietnamese targets to receive 18 million foreign holidaymakers by the end of 2019, participants at the seminar stressed that the tourism industry is required to focus on promoting tourism in China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, and ASEAN as well as expanding sale activities in other markets including Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East and India, among others. 

They also pointed out that Vietnam should create favorable conditions for international tourists who visit the country by land border gates, encourage localities and enterprises to hold promotion programs, increase resources for promotion activities, and establish tourism representative offices in some key markets. 

The tourism infrastructure also needs to be improved, especially airport infrastructures. Besides, Vietnam has to improve the sustainability of the natural environment and enhance management at attractions, experts at the seminar said. 

They also added that key tourist destinations, such as Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Da Nang, and Khanh Hoa, should find solutions to increase international tourist arrivals, focusing on signing cooperative agreements on tourism among themselves and clearing obstacles with a view to keeping the number of arrivals from China, South Korea, Japan and the European markets rising.

At the event, the VNAT launched a tourism environment protection campaign themed "Go Green," aiming to encourage the tourism industry to join the efforts of protecting the environment.