Under the ministry’s proposal, the fund will use around VND400-500 billion (USD18 million-22.7 million) on tourism promotion activities every year, nearly ten times higher than the current levels.
Foreign tourists in Hoi An Ancient Town
According Nguyen Van Tuan, head of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the funding could improve the country’s tourism development.
Vietnam currently spends a paltry USD2 million on tourism promotion activities per year, which is much lower than that of regional countries such as Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.
International visitors to Vietnam have been on the rise over recent years, but this has still been lower than many countries in the region. This has partially blamed for the limited investment for tourism promotion. So, Tuan added that it is necessary for the fund for this area.
Nguyen Quoc Ky, general director of Vietravel, said that Vietnam needs to set up tourism promotion agencies in foreign countries, particularly key markets, after the fund is established.
According to the General Office of Statistics, in the first three months of this year, Vietnam served 4.2 million foreign tourists, up 30.9% on-year. The country has set a target to attract 15-17 million international visitors this year.
