The European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) has just made recommendations for sustainable development of Vietnam's tourism in the 15th annual White Book (2024) with the theme: "Promoting investment towards a green and sustainable economy".
Destination Marketing Through Cinema
Through the survey, EuroCham concluded that promoting Vietnamese tourism abroad is still ineffective when tourism agency data shows that Vietnam has a return visitor rate of only 5% while Thailand has 50%. From there, EuroCham suggested that Vietnam needs to ensure tourists have a positive experience during their trip, encourage them to share their experiences with friends and family and keep good memories of their journey. The hospitality and warmth of local people play an important role in this.
Ms. Doan Hong Hoa, Director of Doan Gia Tourist Company, said that it is necessary to diversify destination marketing strategies so that international visitors know more about Vietnam. Vietnam's tourism depends on traditional markets, while these markets still have limited foreign tourism policies. The implementation of promotional activities, advertising, and providing information about Vietnam's tourism internationally has not been done promptly and regularly in the past. Meanwhile, tourism products have not caught up with the current world trend, and have not yet promoted the advantages of natural resources and cultural resources. The development of advantageous tourism products in Vietnam has not received much attention. Ms. Hoa said that we have only approached what is available and not according to the needs of tourists, so it has more or less affected the attraction of tourists.
International visitors explore Hanoi culture. Photo: HONG HANH
Further recommendations on destination marketing, EuroCham believes that Vietnam needs to strengthen destination marketing, continue to explore new tourism factors such as in Halal tourist markets (Muslim tourists), India is a promising market. In addition, it is necessary to use cinema as a marketing tool. Cinema is a good access channel that Vietnam can consider to attract international film crews to create a stronger combination between cinema and tourism, and at the same time make Vietnam a competitive filming location in Southeast Asia.
Proposal to expand visa exemption
EuroCham assessed that the new visa policies have had a strong impact on Vietnam's tourism in 2023. This is especially beneficial for middle- and high-income European tourists, including retirees looking for long holidays. To further attract visitors from this continent, EuroCham continues to propose visa exemptions for all countries in the European Union.
EuroCham also believes that visa extensions also cater to a wider range of travellers, such as digital freelancers and long-term visitors, as they offer the flexibility needed to work remotely, combined with Vietnam’s low cost of living and vibrant urban centres. It is important that administrative procedures, including the e-visa portal, are continually updated and upgraded to accommodate the growing number of visa applications and improve user satisfaction.
Dr. Pham Ha, Chairman of the Board of Directors of LuxGroup, said that EuroCham's recommendations are completely correct and suitable for Vietnam. The proposal to exempt visas for all countries in the European Union is reasonable when tourists are shifting, with more visitors from Eastern European countries to Vietnam, which is a positive signal.
In addition, EuroCham believes that medical tourism is gradually becoming a popular form of tourism in Vietnam. On average, 300,000 foreign tourists come to Vietnam each year for medical treatment, with Ho Chi Minh City being the preferred destination for 40% of these medical tourists. Therefore, Vietnam needs to develop visa incentives specifically for retirees and medical tourists; promote Vietnam as a resort and medical tourism destination on domestic and international channels...
Mr. Pham Ha believes that the lack of strategy for positioning the national tourism brand has led to the promotion and advertising of Vietnam tourism falling into a state of lack of focus, dispersion, lack of highlights and ineffectiveness. Tourism businesses build destination images and promote the market in a way that each person does their own thing, overlapping, lacking uniformity... This leads to confusion in finding key, highly competitive tourism products to create brand highlights.
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