Directors of travel firms have pointed out the biggest problems of Vietnam’s tourism and discussed what Vietnam should do to improve the situation.
Tran The Dung, Deputy Director of The He Tre Travel
The biggest problem of Vietnam’s tourism industry is the lack of qualified staff. As travel firms have been focusing on competing in prices, they have not paid appropriate attention to the training of tour guides. In Thailand, China and Malaysia, every tour guide is only in charge in one region, which allows them to have deep knowledge about local conditions. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, tour guides can go across the country.
The local authorities just made an absurd thing when, repaying for people who voted for the Ha Long bay as the new natural wonder of the world, have decided to increase the excursion fee at the bay.
After the airfares increased, a tour from HCM City to Hanoi costs 12-13 million dong, while a tour from HCM City to Singapore, Thailand or Malaysia just costs 9-10 million dong.
Vo Anh Tai, General Director of Saigontourist
The problem now is that Vietnam still cannot provide attractive service packages. The overly high service fees and the continued service fee increases would badly affect the market demand. The State agencies need to coordinate in an effective way in order to ensure the close links among travel firms, hotels and airlines, so as to provide the best service packages.
Only by doing this, will Vietnam be able to lure more tourists.
Lai Huu Phuong, Director of Ben Thanh Tourist
What Vietnam’s tourism lacks now are the appropriate investment and the professional marketing. Meanwhile, tourism services offered to travelers have been nearly the same and monotonous.
It is necessary to make appropriate investment to produce the labor force for the state management agencies. It is necessary to set up a comprehensive and sustainable tourism development strategy which allows stopping the spontaneous development as currently.
Nguyen Minh Man, Communication Director of Vietravel
Vietnam is no inferior to any countries in the region and in the world in terms of cultural value and natural landscapes – the things needed for tourism development. However, Vietnam is still weak in creating ideas and implementing the ideas.
The west of the southern region has everything needed to develop floating markets. However, even Vietnamese people also flocked to Thailand to visit the floating market there, because Thailand has been doing very well in marketing. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese floating market product has not developed yet.
Nguyen Van My, Director of Lua Viet Travel
Vietnam’s tourism now lacks a qualified “conductor” who can drive the tourism development in a reasonable way instead of letting the spontaneous development.
There are many problems existing – the traffic jam, flood, narrowed roads, electricity shortage, the food hygiene…
Philip Kotler, a marketing legend, said during his visit to Vietnam that the country should take a shortcut to develop tourism by becoming the kitchen of the world. Vietnam’s culinary is really diversified, but we still cannot fully exploit the potentials. |
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