Drawn up by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the strategy specifies priorities for the country’s tourism, including development of trademarks of unique and diverse products such as cultural heritage, beaches, seas and islands, and ecotourism.
The strategy focuses on both international and domestic markets.
The top priority markets are Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, Chinese Taipei, Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The ministry said India and the Middle East are promising markets that need to be developed.
Marketing activities will be maintained in Western and Eastern Europe, and North America.
Marketing tools will include e-marketing, public relations, FAM trips, PRESS trips, tourism fairs and conferences, advertising, communications administration, tourism ambassadors and representatives.
The plan from 2015 to 2020 will link closely with the National Action Programme on Tourism.
To carry out the strategy, the ministry has assigned the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to work with the Vietnam Tourism Association and departments under the ministry, as well as provincial departments of culture, sports, and tourism.
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism reported that the contribution of tourism to the economy increased significantly in recent years.
In 2013, Vietnam received 7.5 million international tourists, a 10.6 percent rise over 2012, contributing 200 trillion VND (9.4 billion USD) to the state coffer, accounting for approximately 6 percent of the country’s GDP.
Foreign arrivals in Vietnam were over 6.06 million in the January-September period, a year-on-year rise of 10.4 percent.
The tourism sector is expected to welcome 8 million foreign and 37.5 million domestic tourists this year, grossing 240 billion VND (11.2 million USD) in revenue.
