Efforts needed to draw more foreign tourists

Efforts needed to draw more foreign tourists

The Hanoitimes – The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) recently sent a document requiring local Departments of Tourism and Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism to implement specific measures to attract more international visitors from the country`s key tourist markets.

Foreign arrivals to Vietnam in July this year reached 846,311, a rise of 41.2 percent year on year, reported the VNAT.
According to the VNAT, in the first seven months of 2016, Vietnam received over 5.5 million international tourists, up 24 percent from the same period last year. The Vietnam’s main markets of China, the Republic of Korea and Western Europe recorded a great growth.
Among the total, 4.66 million visitors arrived in Vietnam by air, while 86,321 others traveled by sea and 806,389 by road.

Foreign tourists visit the capital of Hanoi.

An upturn was seen in almost all markets, with the highest rise in the Hong Kong market with 111.8 percent, followed by China with 54.5 percent, Thailand with 37.2 percent, the Republic of Korea , 37 percent, and Laos 30.8 percent.
However, the tourism sector still had several shortcomings, including the illegal operation of foreign guides in several central localities.
Under the document, to increase State management over tourist activities, the administration requested the departments to instruct travel agencies to use flexible measures to serve tourists in case there is a lack of tour guides capable of foreign languages.
Travel agencies should employ tour guides from other localities, provide specific information about tourist sites in appropriate languages for visitors, and use Vietnamese tour guides accompanied by interpreters.
Localities should consider the installation of an auto voice-over system in foreign languages to serve tourists, especially those from Vietnam’s main tourist markets.
Provinces and cities nationwide were urged to encourage locals and enterprises to improve their behaviour towards visitors, and avoid actions or words that show discrimination against them.

Thu Minh

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