Con Son - Kiep Bac historical site in Northern Hai Duong province (Photo: Bich Lien)
The Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee has issued a resolution on strengthening sustainable tourism development.
Vietnam’s tourism sector over the past 15 years has contributed to economic restructuring, international integration, and promoting Vietnam’s land and people. The Party resolution aims to achieve tourism professionalism, uniform infrastructure, competitive improvement.
Vietnam’s tourism hopes to earn USD35 billion by 2020
Vietnam aims to attract 17 to 20 million foreign tourists and serve 82 million domestic tourists by 2020. The sector is expected to contribute 10% to Vietnam’s GDP, earn USD35 billion in direct revenue and USD20 billion from exports via tourism, and generate four million jobs. Tourism is targeted to become a spearhead economic sector to enable Vietnam to be one of Southeast Asia’s greenest economies.
Nguyen Van Tuan, General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said “The resolution is of great importance. Its targets and comprehensive solutions show Vietnam’s determination to make tourism a spearhead economic sector.”
Carrying out policies
Vietnam’s tourism potential is ranked 24th out of 141 countries but its tourism competitiveness is ranked 75th. The Politburo’s resolution creates an important momentum for the sector. It suggests a number of solutions including changing the mindset on tourism development, restructuring the tourist sector toward sustainable growth and international integration, fine-tuning legislation on tourism development, upgrading infrastructure, continuing to advertise tourism, creating a favorable environment for enterprises and the public to develop tourism, and focusing on human resource training.
Mr. Tuan added that “The resolution defines the tourism as an inter-sectoral and inter-regional sector. So, developing tourism is the task of the whole political system at all levels and the whole society, with enterprises and the community playing an important role. It’s important to get all agencies involved in carrying out policies.”
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is expected to complete a draft Government Action Program on tourism development to submit to the Prime Minister in April. The Action Program will describe the tasks and policies to be undertaken by each locality and sector focusing on changing the public mindset on tourism development through communications activities./.