Hanoi (VNA) - Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra has asked for a shift from administrative management to tourism ecosystem governance and urgent action to remove institutional bottlenecks, creating a breakthrough for the sector.
Chairing a meeting of the State Steering Committee for Tourism on September 28, Tra, who is also head of the committee, said the Political Bureau’s Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW, dated August 22, 2026, demonstrates the Party’s strategic vision for tourism development and created new momentum for the sector to contribute to the country’s double-digit economic growth target.
She asked the steering committee, the tourism sector and relevant agencies to act with the greatest urgency, reviewing and implementing key tasks in the fourth quarter of 2026 to lay the groundwork for breakthroughs in 2027-2028.
The Deputy PM also urged ministries and sectors to thoroughly prepare for APEC Year 2027, viewing the event as an opportunity to promote Vietnam’s image, people and distinctive tourism products to international visitors.
Regarding key tasks for the fourth quarter, the Deputy PM demanded accelerating efforts to fulfil the targets set for 2026 and comprehensively implementing Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW to address bottlenecks hampering tourism development.
She tasked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism with leading a comprehensive review of relevant institutions and tasks, and quantifying the resolution’s objectives for 2027-2030 with specific key performance indicators (KPIs) for 34 provinces and cities.
Tra also ordered the urgent completion of the National Tourism Database and a shared digital platform for smart tourism governance, while requiring each locality to develop at least one signature tourism product in 2027.
For APEC Year 2027 in Phu Quoc, she called for detailed preparations covering tourism promotion, product connectivity, infrastructure and visitor safety.
She also urged the strengthening of the advisory apparatus, tighter discipline, human resources development and addressing financial difficulties to create substantive changes, turning tourism into a spearhead economic sector.
According to a report presented by Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong, Vietnam welcomed 15.9 million international visitors and served 113 million domestic tourists in the first eight months of 2026, up 14.5% and 6.6% year-on-year, respectively. The tourism revenue in the period hit 781 trillion VND (29.7 billion USD), up 10.4 %.
Key tourism destinations such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, An Giang, Lam Dong and Khanh Hoa continued to maintain high growth rates.
Addressing the event, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lam Thi Phuong Thanh said the ministry is working towards the target of serving 25 million visitors in 2026, while promoting cultural, heritage and high-end resort tourism and developing new models such as night-time, medical, green and community-based tourism.
Deputy Minister of Public Security Sen. Lieut. Gen. Pham The Tung called for stronger inspections to tackle “cheap tours”, disguised investment in tourism and illegal activities by foreign tour guides.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang proposed strengthening digital information links with Vietnamese representative missions abroad to improve tourism promotion and explore new markets./.
