Tourism industry devises new development strategy until 2020

The slogan “Việt Nam–Timeless Charm” and the symbol of a five petal lotus have been officially selected as the Slogan and Logo of Việt Nam Tourism in the 2012–2015 period. The formalized lotus with five petals and five colors represents Việt Nam’s major tourism products - island and sea tourism, ecological tourism and nature, cultural tourism, historical tourism and adventure tourism.

According to Head of the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism, Nguyễn Văn Tuấn, the sector will launch programs to introduce the new logo to domestic and foreign tourists. "Beside many challenges, Việt Nam’s tourism also enjoys advantages, especially Hạ Long Bay’s recognition as one of the New Seven new natural wonders of the world. As this will attract more visitors, we should take this opportunity to promote tourism not just in Hạ Long Bay but all over Việt Nam. We have set a target of attracting 6.6 million foreign and 32 million domestic tourists this year with expected revenues of US $7 billion", he said. 

This year, Việt Nam’s tourism will officially implement a new strategy until 2020 with a vision for 2030 and work out a number of plans to develop key tourism areas. Under the strategy, by 2020, tourism will have become a spearhead economic sector with high professionalism, comprehensive and modern infrastructure and high-quality products of national character to compete with other countries in the region.

Tuan elaborated: "We will keep improving the quality of the tourism environment and services. Promotion programs will be launched inside and outside the country. Socio-economic efficiency is the ultimate target and enterprises provide impetus for sustainable development. Building tourism products and promoting trademarks are breakthrough factors. Those are the lessons we have learned from the tourism strategy over the last 10 years."

Việt Nam’s new tourism strategy has several new points: growth, quality, trademarks, professionalism and efficient use of all resources and national advantages. The strategy particularly focuses on developing trademarks, a key factor in international competition. The sector has identified specific forms of tourism such as ecological tourism and cultural tourism.

Lã Quốc Khánh, Deputy Head of Hồ Chí Minh city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism says that green tourism will be one of the main products that the city offers: "There will be some tourism itineraries from Hồ Chí Minh city to Củ Chi Tunnel and Bình Dương and along the Sài Gòn river. We are organizing tours to explore forests in Cần Giờ by boat. This tourism form exploits ecology while protecting the environment and ensuring sustainable development."

The tourism sector has divided its markets according to the customers’ interests and budget. In the domestic market, the main focus will be on resorts, recreation areas and shopping. For the overseas market, the sector aims to expand its operations into more foreign markets like Northeastern Asia, the Asia-Pacific, Western Europe and North America. Việt Nam aims to welcome 10.5 million foreign and 48 million domestic tourists with estimated revenues of US $19 billion by 2020.