Editor’s note:Le Bao Toan, a 17-year-old from the southern province of Dong Nai, pictures Vietnam as the world’s tourism paradise in 2035 in his submission to the “Ky Vong Viet Nam 20 Nam Toi” (“My Expectations for Vietnam in 20 Years”) writing contest.
The number of international tourist arrivals to Vietnam in the first half of 2015 has declined more than 10 percent, which is a bad sign. Does it mean that the heyday of Vietnamese tourism has ended? I believe things will be much different in the next 20 years.
In 2035, Vietnam’s tourism sector will make a huge leap in development. In the eyes of foreigners, Vietnam will no longer be a nation of wars, losses and pain; these will be replaced by images of a developed country with friendly people and leading entertainment services in Asia and the world.
40-50 million international tourists
At that time, when asked about Vietnam, international vacationers will always think of the professional hospitality services and a country with picturesque natural landscapes, a fresh and pure environment and modern tourism infrastructure no worse than Singapore, Thailand or Malaysia.
In the next 20 years, the tourism sector will tell Vietnamese people that the country welcomes 40 million to 50 million tourists a year, or growth rates of 20 to 30 percent, and even more.
More importantly, tourism will increasingly contribute to the state budget and become a leading economic sector, as per the strategy of the government and the Party.
And every Vietnamese citizen, when traveling abroad, will hear good comments and praise about Vietnam from international friends, who also show their love for the country.
Moreover, our tourism sector will develop sustainably without concerns over the environment or exotic culture.
The tourism sector in the next 20 years will really benefit members of the public. Then, natural resources will no longer be over-exploited. Instead, there will be higher awareness of environmental protection to develop the ‘non-smoke industry’ without damaging the country’s original values.
Essential things to do
Workforce is always the top concern when it comes to developing a certain industry, and tourism is no exception.
Vietnam’s heavenly destinations such as Ha Long Bay or Phong Nha-Ke Bang are gifts from nature. Vietnam is also a country where heritage sites combine with national customs to create distinctive beauty.
But what if that beauty is misunderstood and presented to tourists in an incorrect way?
The task of developing a high-quality workforce for the tourism sector thus plays a very important role. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism must improve training for tour guides, chefs, hotel staffers and museum attendants so that they have highly professional skills and are able to speak many languages.
Educating people to be aware of protecting the environment is also an urgent issue. The Ministry of Education and Training must fulfill its duty so that the young generations will realize that not littering plays a game-changing role for the country’s future, including the tourist industry.
Departments and agencies in localities countrywide should strictly crack down on those who pollute the environment by any means, even dumping a plastic bag onto the street. Tourists will then no longer have to ‘struggle’ to cross a street full of trash, or witness a local ‘answering the call of nature’ right on the sidewalk.
We are willing to pay dozens of millions of U.S. dollars for each kilometer when building an expressway, so is it really difficult to earmark funds for the installation of trash cans along the streets?
If the government cannot afford that, they can encourage members of the public to donate. The bins not only keep their own yards clean but also build a nice image of the country in the eyes of tourists.
Most visitors to Vietnam are usually shocked shortly after exiting the airports as there is no guiding tourism information. The only thing we do to give information to tourists is set up small information booths at some airports.
What we should do is to develop a professional information system, starting by leaving free maps and tourist guide books at airports to help visitors.
The guide books should contain information about tourist spots from north to south, and can also be made available at seaports and border gates countrywide. They must be updated every two to three months.
Traffic is always a huge obsession with foreign tourists when they are in Vietnam. Minimizing this negative impact will thus be a huge success for Vietnamese tourism.
Certainly, changing the traffic culture is not something that can be achieved overnight. But it is possible, given the course of 20 years.
We should set up a convenient traffic system for tourists and work with transportation firms so that they will set a mutual fare for each route, which will prevent them from cheating foreign customers. Or we can also help tourists with how to cross a street in big cities.
And yet there are many other things that need to be done to enable our country to become a “tourism paradise” for the world. But the aforementioned factors are the most essential ones, which will help Vietnam, which now receives only around eight million tourists a year, to become a world power in terms of tourism.
In the future, Vietnam will be known by more international friends, and when asked as to which country they most want to travel to, many will reply: “I want to travel to Vietnam!”
| “Ky Vong Viet Nam 20 Nam Toi” is a competition organized by the World Bank in Vietnam and Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that encourages local youths to write down their wildest, yet feasible, dreams about how Vietnam will change in 20 years’ time. |
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