Hanoi (VNA)♍ – The Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) 2021, scheduled to take place in Hanoi from July 29 to August 1, is expected to serve as a good chance to warm up Vietnam’s tourism market.

Opportunity to revive…

Under the theme of “New Normal - New Opportunities”, the organizing board wants to affirm that the tourism industry is always ready with a proactive and positive attitude to overcome difficulties, and take advantage of the opportunities of the new normal to get adapted and recover as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic is put under control. This spirit is also aimed at implementing the Government’s direction on implementing the dual targets of maintaining production and business activities while ensuring pandemic prevention and control, in order to restore and promote the development of the country’s tourism under new conditions and new circumstances. Standing Vice President of the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) Vu The Binh said that the ninth VITM is not only a venue to exchange products, a venue where tourists can choose products they like, but also an open fair for businesses to propose ideas to revive domestic tourism activities and welcome international visitors. Accordingly, during the four-day fair, a wide range of activities will be organised such as tourism promotion booths, a programme to honour outstanding businesses and individuals of the Vietnam Tourism Association in 2020 (VITA Awards 2020), a ceremony to make debut the MICE Club, a seminar on Vietnam’s tourism human resources in the new normal, a workshop on Golf Tourism, an event discussing digital transformation in the non-smoke industry, and Vietnamese and international traditional art performances, among others. Around 450 exhibitors from 40 cities and provinces in Vietnam and four regional markets - Thailand, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan (China) - had registered to set up some 350 booths at the trade fair, according to the organising board. Binh stated that if the previous fairs were mainly attended by travel agencies, this year’s event will see the participation of hotels and resorts, which shows the trend of shifting to domestic tourism in the current new context.

… and warm up the tourism market

Although the fair is delayed from May to the end of July, the organising board said that they will keep the information that the units have registered and will update in the coming time. Besides activities to stimulate demand, VITM Hanoi 2021 is also an opportunity for tourism agencies to promote the destinations and introduce its tourism products to travel firms and tourists through booths and activities. People will have many opportunities to learn and choose tours suitable for them and their families. In its document sent to departments of culture, sports and tourism of cities and provinces, and tourism promotion centres, the VITA said in compliance with the Prime Minister’s vaccine plus 5K regulations [khau trang (facemask), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distance), khong tu tap (no gathering), and khai bao y te (health declaration)], the VITA actively called on units and businesses to register vaccination for their staff with funding from the public. The event is expected to reboot tourism activities following damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier, its opening was delayed twice. The COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on the global economy, with tourism being among the hardest-hit sectors. The pandemic caused losses of some 20 billion USD to Vietnam’s tourism sector last year. In the year, the number of foreign tourist arrivals to Vietnam reached only 3.68 million, down 80 percent compared to 2019, while there were 56 million domestic holidaymakers, down by 34.1 percent. Tourism revenues were estimated at 312 trillion VND (13.5 billion USD), equal to only 58.7 percent of the previous year’s figure./.