Foreign tourists in Vietnam (Source: conphungtourist.com)
Vietnamese travel agencies are actively making preparations as they anticipate both opportunities and challenges in a more competitive environment when the ASEAN Community is established at the end of this year.
Tourism businesses are eager for the community establishment, expecting an increase of foreign arrivals to the country, Golden Tour’s Director Peter Pham told Singapore-based Vietnam News Agency reporters on the sidelines of the International Trade Show for Asian Travel Market (ITB Asia) held in Singapore from October 21-23.
According to Pham Ha, Executive Manager of Luxury Travel, businesses will have more choices in the field of human resources as high-quality manpower from Singapore and the Philippines is likely to come to Vietnam for working.
This will bring opportunities to improve tourism service quality and enhance the national image in the region, he added.
At the same time, travel agencies from other ASEAN countries are expected to come to Vietnam, which means Vietnamese companies will face fiercer competition.
To deal with this, Golden Tour is striving to set up links with partners from the region, mainly from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos and Cambodia, with the aims of building joint packaged tours instead of competing against each other.
Deputy Head of the Vietnam’s National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Ngo Hoai Chung said Vietnam’s participation in the ITB Asia aims to introduce Vietnam’s products and services focusing on sea and islands, culture, Eco-tourism, and city tours.
The VNAT also held press conferences to present latest tourism development policies, including the visa exemption for several nations, improved aviation connectivity and new products and services for visitors.-VNA
