Tong Thi Thu Hien, director of the Thang Long GTC Travel Company in turn suggested that maybe mischievous pick-pocketing, other thievery, overcharging and traffic safety issues have been detrimental to the tourism and hospitality industries.
In addition, Luu Duc Ke, Hanoitourist Director, pointed out a number of subjective reasons for the sharp decline and said the country is not investing enough in marketing itself abroad while our competitors are.
For his part, Le Cong Nang, a representative from Vietrantour, said the higher cost of travel in Vietnam is definitely one of the culprits.
For example, the cost for a one-night stay with meal at a three-star hotel was US$22.50 per person in Thailand, US$30 in Malaysia, US$40 in China and US$80 in Vietnam.
Overall travelers report spending on average 57% of their total travel budget on accommodation in Vietnam, Nang said— which is exorbitantly high when compared to other nations in the region.
To cope with the situation, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh has urged localities to drastically punish Vietnamese who exhibit bad behaviour that negatively reflects on the image of Vietnam.
Improving the tourism environment should be considered the number one priority because if it isn’t dealt with promptly, the loss of foreigner tourists to other markets is unavoidable and will continue to drag the tourism industry and national economy down.
The Vietnam Tourism Association also proposed urgent measures to ‘rescue’ the tourism and hospitality industries. Simplifying visa procedures was considered the key solution to stimulating the market.
Last but not least, VNAT General Director Nguyen Van Tuan echoing Ke’s sentiments said the silver lining for coping with the problems plaguing the tourism and hospitality industries is to improve the quality and efficiency of marketing in key markets.
