Hanoi (VNA) – A workshop on drawing high-spending andlong-stay tourists recently took place in Hanoi as part of the two-day VietnamPrivate Sector Economic Forum 2019, with participants suggesting a range ofmeasures to develop the sector.

Foreign visitors to Vietnam tend to stay longer but spendless than those to other countries in the region, said Le Quang Tung, DeputyMinister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. According to him, a foreign touristspends an average 96 USD per day in Vietnam but 330 USD per day in Singapore.

Tung also pointed to a decrease in the proportion of visitorsfrom high-spending markets, like North America and Europe, in the total numberof foreigners to Vietnam since 2015.

He urged the tourist sector to pay more attention to exploitinghigh-spending markets and raising the proportion of self-guided travellersinstead of those booking tours.  

Vu The Binh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam TourismAssociation, recommended the first work to do is to improve visa policy forbetter competitiveness.

Truong Tan Son, a representative from tour operatorSaigontourist, noted the sector needs to clarify its major products.

Pham Ha, director of the Luxury Travel Vietnam Limited Company,said four key points in developing the industry are visa policy, humanresources training, tourism products, and effective promotion.

Ngo Minh Duc, chairman of the board of director at the HG company,suggested Vietnam establish a tourism development fund and tourism promotionoffices overseas.

Cao Tri Dung, director of the Vietnam Travelmart, said thecountry’s current infrastructure can satisfy visitors’ demand for aviation,food and accommodation services. However, to keep them stay for longerduration, the tourism sector needs to provide more recreational activities likeshopping, golf, and performance shows.

He added the building of tax-refund facilities at touristdestinations rather than just at the airports is also necessary.

According to the General Statistics Office, the number offoreign visitors to Vietnam in March exceeded 1.4 million people, raising thetotal number of foreigners to the country over the last three months to morethan 4.5 million, a year-on-year increase of 7 percent.

In 2019, the tourism industry aims to welcome103 million visitors, including 18 million international visitors and 85million domestic tourists.-VNA