Viet Nam lauded for tourism growth

Viet Nam has been praised for its strong tourism development in the past year as the global downturn severely reduced holiday travellers.

The secretary-general of the UN's World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Taleb Rifai, made the remark during a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan yesterday in Ha Noi. Rifai is attending the World Tourism Conference which opened here yesterday.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh credited the Government's attention for the turnaround, saying it realised the potential to turn tourism into the country's key economic sector. Tourism nets US$4.05 billion a year, one of the nation's top five hard-currency earners.

The tourism chief noted that the sector could make more efforts to create jobs in this field as well as boosting an exchange of information with other countries to help international tourism quickly recover.

Nhan told Rifai that Viet Nam was trying its best to become one of the most attractive destinations in the region. Rifai offered further assistance from his office in building long-term plans on tourism development, especially by offering support for training.

Broader co-operation

Tuan Anh announced that broader co-operation would be made with regional partners in promoting the industry and cultural identities of each country ? and selecting products for sustainable development. Three hundred senior travel officials from 17 countries in Asia and the Pacific, international travel organisations, foreign diplomats and Vietnamese hospitality industry members are attending the meeting.

The tourism chief added the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism would work with the UN organisation to boost the exchange of experiences in promoting tourist brand names and launching promotion campaigns.Co-operation will also be sought for feasibility surveys of virgin sites of great potential such as Ba Be and Thac Ba lakes and community tourism in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang.