VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam must improve the effectiveness of its participation in international tourism fairs, said Luong Hoai Nam, a member of the Tourism Advisory Board.

Palm-fringed charm: My Khe Beach in Da Nang has been voted by world tourism publications as one of most beautiful beaches in the world.

Nam spoke at a tourism seminar hosted by the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism on Sunday. It was held within the framework of the Viet Nam International Tourism Mart 2015, which wrapped up last Monday.

Attending the event were Nguyen Van Tuan, general director of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism; Kai Partale, EU-Tourism Sector co-ordinator; and representatives from domestic tourism enterprises.

Addressing the seminar, Tuan said that the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism had recently hosted, organised and participated in many international tourism fairs, such as ITB in Berlin, WTM in England and MITT in Russia.

Many provinces and tourism enterprises have set up booths to promote Viet Nam's tourism in those fairs, he added.

"The country has participated more over the years, improving Viet Nam's image with potential tourism partners, as well as enabling domestic tourism enterprises to expand their market and attract more tourists," he said.

However, according to Tuan, Viet Nam's organising work still lacks professionalism. There is a lack of long-term planning and finance, which affects the scale and quality of the booths.

Furthermore, the country has not had representative tourism agencies abroad and personnel that are fluent in languages in focal markets like Germany, Spain, Thailand and South Korea.

According to Nam, Viet Nam's booths lack personality, multimedia facilities and activities to create strong impressions and attract visitors.

He said the country needed to promote its tourism through TV channels and online news, and open tourism agencies in West Europe and North America.

"The tourism sector also needs a long-term, three- to five-year plan," he said. "If the State budget for tourism is limited, it is necessary to consider applying more travel fees or taxes.

"Besides printed leaflets, tourism enterprises should bring more attractive e-leaflets to the fairs, like USB sticks containing information about Viet Nam tourism. We should also have professional orators narrate stories about Viet Nam's tourism possibilities during the fairs."

VNS