(VOVWORLD) - Vietnam’s tourism made progress in 2023. 12.5 million foreign visitors were welcomed, far exceeding the goal of 8 million tourists set last year.
 A large number of foreign tourists flocking to Ha Giang province (Photo: VNA) |
Data released by the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) showed that last year the sector served 105 million domestic tourists, 12-13 million foreign visitors, and 5 million outbound Vietnamese tourists.
Local tourism associations have established cooperation connections and linked tourist destinations to potential markets.
Trieu Thi Tinh, Deputy Director of Ha Giang province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that last year Ha Giang achieved breakthrough growth, welcoming more than 3 million tourists, received several international awards, including "Asia's Leading Emerging Tourism Destination 2023", and was ranked the 25th in the New York Times list of 52 best places to travel in 2023.
Tinh attributed the results last year to increasing connections with localities, associations, and tourism businesses, and integrated promotion and advertising activities into events held locally, nationally, and internationally.
“Nationwide tourism promotion activities introduced the public to Ha Giang tourism. Last year, we attracted 14 international travel agents to operate in Ha Giang,” Tinh noted.
 Vu The Binh, President of the Vietnam Tourism Association (Photo: VNA) |
This year, to match pre-COVID growth, the Vietnam Tourism Association will increase linkage and cooperation activities, implement regional and inter-regional coordination mechanisms and action plans, develop products, markets, and services, and promote brand building, said Association President Vu The Binh.
“First, as many countries have not yet recovered, we must work harder to promote tourism. Second, because the current demands of tourists are different from the pre-pandemic demands, the tourism sector must create more suitable products,” said Binh.
He added that reality shows that more than half of the tourism industry's human resources have moved to other industries, so last year the sector worked hard to get them back and this year we must continue to do so.
“Finally, we need to sell more tourism products in foreign markets,” Binh concluded.
This year Vietnam's tourism industry hopes to match its achievements in 2019 and attract 20 million foreign visitors.
Nguyen Cong Hoan, Head of VITA’s Communications Section and CEO of the Flamigo Redtours Company, said that as Vietnam is known as a beautiful, peaceful, safe, and friendly country, this will help attract foreign tourists.
“To reach the goal of 20 million visitors will take a lot of work – product development, promotion, visa incentives, and coordination with the aviation sector. In addition to attracting foreign visitors, we still have to focus on the domestic market,” said Hoan.
In order for Vietnamese tourism to prosper in 2024, VITA, tourism businesses, and local tourism associations plan to create new tours, like "Wood Fish Village" tour, "Touring Luc Ngan rural area", and “Journey in the footsteps of Emperor-Monk Tran Nhan Tong”. Efforts will be intensified to minimize plastic waste and protect the environment for sustainable development.