He said the market needs leading large firms to design more flexible products that satisfy the changing demands of travelers.

Tran Dinh Thien, a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, said tourism should be considered a key industry. To revive the market, it is necessary to help big players rise up.

If Vietnam tries to save all by ‘giving one drop of milk to each person’, no one would be able to develop with the current limited resources. Therefore, it would be better to gather strength to help big businesses to develop, and they would serve as the ‘locomotive’ to help smaller businesses.

“Special methods need to be applied in emergency cases,” he said.

Tran Trong Kien, member of Committee IV, chair of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) said personal preferences and safe tours are the top requirements from travelers.

Deputy CEO of Saigontourist Vo Anh Tai admitted that the firm has to change a lot to operate many sale promotion programs and expand customer base. He advised travel firms to target Vietnamese travelers and foreigners living and working in Vietnam.

If Vietnam tries to save all by ‘giving one drop of milk to each person’, no one would be able to develop with the current limited resources. Therefore, it would be better to gather strength to help big businesses to develop, and they would serve as the ‘locomotive’ to help smaller businesses.

He said travel firms need to launch a comprehensive strategy, from promotion programs with attract discount rates and new product launching to service improvement and safety standard upgrading.

Vinpearl has launched three promotion programs for one month, including the ongoing one which lasts until June 15 under which clients have the opportunity to get the refund of up to 100 percent of the room value.

Time to restructure tourism

According to Thien, what the tourism industry needs to do is not just recover the industry and attract as many travelers as it could do in the past. More importantly, the tourism industry needs to become better than it was in the past.

He thinks it is necessary to have a completely new development strategy, i.e. the reshuffling of the entire industry.

For an important industry like tourism, this "needs to be done and is worth doing".

Travel firms all said they need the support from the State. Deputy chair of the Vietnam Tourism Association Vu The Binh said the efforts will be fruitless if only travel firms try to lower their service fees, and excursion tickets at tourist sites keep increasing.

Thanh Mai 

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