Vietnam targets emerging markets for tourism growth
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Vietnam is planning to put its tourism industry back on track with a focus on emerging markets, including Russia, India and ASEAN countries.
The country’s Minister of Culture, Sports & Tourism Minister, Hoang Tuan Anh, recently spoke about Vietnam’s tourism plans. And following a recent decline in visitor numbers from Vietnam’s largest source market, China, the minister stated his intention to look further afield to some of the world’s other fast-growing outbound markets.
“With regard to India, it’s identified as one of Vietnam’s biggest potential markets which shall lead the high growth in the future. In 2015, Vietnam tourism has run many promotional activities for this market such as organising an Indian fam trip to Vietnam, a Bollywood film shooting group, and participating in [events] in India,” the minister stated.
“In the early six months of 2015, due to the Russian currency’s devaluation, Russian tourist arrivals to Vietnam decreased compared with the same period of 2014. However, we believe that this market will recover soon and still belongs to the top 10 visitor markets to Vietnam. In 2015, Vietnam tourism will continue to participate in the main international travel marts… as well as organise fam trips and press trips from Russia,” he added.
In terms of the ASEAN market, the minister said that Vietnam “wishes to attract more international tourists from member states, as well as those from third countries to ASEAN as a single destination”.
The minister also recognised that current visa rules are hampering tourism to the country. But following the recent implementation of a visa waiver scheme for the citizens of many European and ASEAN countries, Hoang said the country’s tourism authorities will “continue to recommend other countries to the government to be considered in the list of visa exemption countries”.
Vietnam’s tourism industry has struggled recently, with the sharp decline in visitors from mainland China leading to an overall 11% decline in tourist arrivals in the first six months of 2015.
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