Students join tram parade after the meeting in response to the 2015 World Tourism Day. (Credit: qdnd.vn)
NDO – A meeting was held by the Vietnam General Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Hanoi on September 26 to respond to the 2015 World Tourism Day (September 27).
The event was supported by the ‘Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism (ESRT) Capacity Development Programme’ funded by the European Union (EU).
Addressing the ceremony, the General Director of the General Department of Tourism Nguyen Van Tuan emphasised that in addition to socio-economic development, the tourism industry of Vietnam has affirmed its role as a key economic sector, significantly contributing to promoting the image of Vietnam to international friends.
Overcoming low season (from the end of 2014 to the first six months of 2015) with a decline of the number of tourists, Vietnamese tourism has gradually recovered and regained growth momentum over the last three months.
According to statistics, Vietnam welcomed 626,324 international visitors in September, an increase of 8.3% over the same period last year.
Accordingly, the total number of foreign tourists to Vietnam in the first nine months of this year is estimated at nearly 5.7 million; meanwhile the number of domestic travelers is estimated at around 48.8 million, boosting the country’s revenue from tourism to over VND269 trillion (nearly US$12 billion), up 2.8% year-on-year.
The message of this year’s World Tourism Day, ‘One Billion Tourists, One Billion Opportunities’, is expected to highlight the role of the tourism industry for the socio-economic development of every country.
It will also encourage all nations, including Vietnam, to co-operate together to boost sustainable development as well as implement the United Nations millennium goals on socio-economic development, bringing benefits to millions of people around the world.
At the meeting, Head of the European Union Delegation in Vietnam Bruno Angelet highlighted the importance of co-operation between the Vietnamese Government and the EU. Over the past 12 years, the EU has funded more than EUR20 million in supporting training activities to improve the quality of tourism services in Vietnam, helping the Vietnamese tourism sector grow inclusively.
He also expressed hope that Vietnam would continue to consider the expansion of visa exemption for the 28 countries of the EU.
After the meeting, hundreds of students in Hanoi joined an electric bike parade to spread the theme and message of the 2015 World Tourism Day.
Vietnam responds to World Tourism Day 2015 Related image(s)
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