To mark Vietnam’s Tourism Day on July 9, the Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tran Chien Thang talked with a VOV reporter about Vietnam’s target for 5 million foreign tourists this year.

Tourism promotion campaign

VOV: Do you think that the figure of 2.3 million foreign tourists in six months demonstrates that Vietnam is still a friendly destination for international visitors?

Mr Thang: The figure shows that despite long travel time and price fluctuations around the world, the number of foreign tourists coming to the country in the first half of this year was still as high as expected. Vietnam has a beautiful landscape and special cultural icons and more importantly it has a stable political situation and a secure society. A series of external affairs and promotion campaigns have also helped to attract large numbers of international tourists.

VOV: Last year the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) invested billions of Vietnam Dong in promoting tourism on the CNN TV channel. How has this helped to attract foreign tourists to Vietnam? 

Mr Thang: It is too soon to evaluate its effects because it has only run for six months. However the World Tourism Organisation has affirmed that advertising Vietnam on CNN is paying off.

I think this has enabled people from overseas, especially from Asia, to have a better understanding of Vietnam. The ministry has asked for Government approval of its proposal to run promotion campaigns.

It takes time to develop our tourism

VOV: According to statistics, only 15 percent of international tourists want to come back to Vietnam. Is it due to the fact that tourist services in the country are not attractive enough to international visitors?

Mr Thang: The first thing, in my opinion, depends on the habits of tourists. Most tourists want to see different regions and do not like to come back to the same destinations. Vietnam is very beautiful but there are around 200 other countries around the world they wish to see.

The mass media have made a lot of comments about tourist services in the country. It is true our tourist services are not good enough to meet tourists’ expectations.

However, we cannot improve the quality of our tourist services overnight. For example, after being successfully held five times, the Hue Festival has become well known. It has taken us at least 10 years to develop its trademark.

VOV: This means that we should have a long-term strategy to develop tourism. What will the culture and sports sector do to develop tourism in the country?

Mr Thang: Cultural products need to become the hall mark of the tourism sector, which calls for a coordinated effort to combine the striking features of tourism and culture, museums, historical relics and landscapes. I think it is necessary to learn from other countries’ experiences in combining tourism and culture, turning cultural products into commercial products to help local people increase their incomes and reduce poverty levels.

VOV: This year, the VNAT has set a target for around 5 million international visitors. Do you think the administration can achieve this target?

Mr Thang: We are closely monitoring price fluctuations around the world. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has instructed the VNAT to propose more initiatives and feasible solutions to support the tourism sector and create more advertising channels for enterprises to attract visitors from different parts of the world.

VOV: Thank you.