Quang Ninh (VNA) – Vietnam needs to overhaul its tourism promotion approach by focusing on market demand and its distinctive strengths, while leveraging culture, cuisine and people to strengthen the national tourism brand, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong has stated.
He was speaking at the 2026 National Tourism Promotion Conference held in the northern city of Quang Ninh on September 24. The event, themed “Innovation – Synergy – Breakthrough”, was jointly held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the municipal People’s Committee, drawing representatives from ministries and agencies, the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT), local-level tourism management agencies, and more than 150 leading tourism businesses.
Phong said the sector must change its mindset and methods of tourism promotion to realise its strategic development targets. Along with shifting from “promoting what we have” to “promoting what the market needs and what Vietnam has as distinctive advantages”, the sector should move from “exploiting resources” to “creating value,” he stressed.
Culture, cuisine and people will be seen as pillars for positioning the national tourism brand, while shifting the marketing focus to target markets with high spending power and long stays, he added.
Regarding coordination mechanisms, Phong stressed the need for a unified nationwide mechanism to pool resources, with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and VNAT acting as the “conductor” to coordinate promotion efforts and shape a tourism brand strategy. Relevant ministries and agencies should work together to address visa policies and expand international air routes, he said.
Localities should prioritise destination infrastructure and a safe, civilised tourism environment, while businesses should take the lead in developing products and commercialising services, he added.
The official also identified technology and value chains as key drivers of breakthroughs, calling for stronger digital transformation and greater use of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to analyse and forecast market trends and personalise visitor experiences in real time. A shared data system and outcome-based key performance indicators (KPIs) will soon be completed, he added.
Tourism promotion will also be linked more closely with aviation, travel services, the night-time economy and cuisine to prepare for major events, including Visit Vietnam Year 2027 and the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week 2027 in Phu Quoc, he said.
Phong urged ministries, agencies and localities, especially major tourism destinations, to act immediately in the fourth quarter of 2026, rolling out winter tourism stimulus packages and developing night-time products. He also called for capitalising on the appeal and safety of destinations to meet the year’s targets and lay a solid foundation for making tourism a globally competitive spearhead economic sector.
Luong Thi Hoang Lan, Cluster Director of Sales- Sun Hospitality & Entertainment Group of Sun Group, said tourism promotion in the new period should go beyond telling compelling destination stories to creating distinctive experiences that turn visitors into storytellers and help spread those stories.
To enhance its competitiveness with destinations in the region and the world, Vietnam needs high-end tourism products that encourage visitors to come, experience, stay longer, return and recommend them to others, she said.
With distinctive, quality products, iconic structures and unique shows can themselves become powerful messages promoting the national tourism brand. Lan said this is also the approach Sun Group has consistently pursued in working with localities to develop destinations and build comprehensive tourism experience ecosystems.
In recent years, Vietnam’s tourism sector has maintained its recovery momentum and achieved strong growth. In 2025, the country welcomed nearly 21.2 million international visitors and served 137 million domestic tourists, with total tourism revenue exceeding 1 quadrillion VND (38.49 billion USD) for the first time. UN Tourism assessed Vietnam as one of the two countries with the fastest-growing tourism sectors in the world.
Vietnam hosted 15.9 million international visitors in the first eight months of 2026, up 14.4% year on year, helping the country rank among the top three destinations in Asia in terms of the proportion of returning visitors.
The sector targets 25-27 million international visitors and 150-153 million domestic tourists in 2026, with total revenue estimated at 1.12-1.23 quadrillion VND (47.34 billion USD). For 2027-2030, Vietnam aims to welcome 45-50 million international visitors, with tourism expected to contribute 10-12% to the national GDP./.
