Brand Vietnam needs a boost

Vietnam’s tourism branding is still low-key and needs strengthening according to tourism experts.
They recommend a much higher spend in public relations activities to attract tourist attention, worldwide.
Local media reports, earlier this week, quoted tourism experts who claimed not enough attention was focused on building brand awareness.
They said the current brand or national trademark was too weak to lure tourists.
Tourism Development Research Institute deputy director, Pham Trung Luong, said: “The problem lies in policy… enterprises are allowed to use only 5% of their incomes on advertising.”
He said building the country’s tourist trademark was an urgent matter that needed review.
“The question is what is our trademark and then how to build it…more time and investment are required to help the world to easily identify Vietnam’s tourist trademark.”
Vietnamese travel agencies adopt simplified trademarks, thinking that a name, a logo and some advertisements in mass media was enough, but they are talking to the converted; the local market and failing to reach international visitors with the right message, he explained.
Vietnam National Administration of Tourism general director, Nguyen Van Tuan added: “Vietnam is developing three main streams of tourism products — marine, culture and ecological.”
The tourism products of these three streams will be the key to developing a stronger trademark, he said.
During January to July, this year, international tourist arrivals to the nation reached 4.1 million visits growing 5.9% over the same period last year.

Sourced: ttrweekly