A seminar in Hanoi on October 9 aimed to strengthen the performance of the EU-Vietnam Programme for Environmental and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development for the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) in furtherance of more sustainable tourism.
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Jim Flannery, a tourism specialist from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), shared lessons and experiences about the role and mandates of typical tourism associations of nations in the world, such as Ireland and Thailand.
Flannery also analysed the problems facing tourism associations in Vietnam, including the shortage of funding, poor co-ordination and lack of a clear information channel.
Meanwhile, tourism in Vietnam has to face stiff competition from other nations in Southeast Asia and Asia in attracting international visitors. Therefore, the country should enhance the capacity of tourism bodies in both the private and public sector, he said.
Flannery also made a number of recommendations for tourism associations to improve their operations, noting that there should be clearer delineation of responsibilities of relevant agencies to avoid the inefficiencies and confusion caused by overlapping them.
Additionally, Vietnam should establish seven tourism regions and a separate association to operate in each region, as outlined in Vietnam’s Tourism Development Strategy until 2020 with a vision for 2030.
In addition, the country should agree on the goals, action plans, and funding for international marketing and advertising campaigns. The EU-Vietnam Programme for Environmental and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development is the biggest EU-funded project to help Vietnam improve its competitive edge and implement the country’s socio-economic plan.
The EUR11 million programme has been implemented by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism in the 2011-2015 period.
Source: VOVNews
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