Phong Nha Cave is one of the most impressive destinations in VN. — VNA/VNS Photo

Vietnam has set its sights on becoming a premier tourist destination in Southeast Asia by 2030, thanks to a new strategy issued by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The plan aims to bolster the country's tourism brand and enhance its competitiveness while supporting Việt Nam's overall tourism development strategy.

The ambitious initiative aims to raise awareness and generate greater interest in the many attractions Việt Nam has to offer, ultimately establishing the country as a top-quality and sustainable destination for high-spending, long-stay guests.

By achieving these goals, Việt Nam's tourism sector hopes to cement its status as the first choice for visitors in its target markets.

Digital marketing activities must work more effectively with higher reach and more interactions, plus an increasing number of visitors and followers to websites and pages, as well as engagement, on social networking platforms of the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism.

The strategy also mentions the improvement of Việt Nam’s ranking position on tourism marketing-related indicators under the World Economic Forum's Tourism Development Capability Index, particularly in the fields of price competitiveness and IT readiness in tourism services.

Under the strategy, by 2025, Việt Nam’s tourism is expected to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic fully and welcome 18 million international visitors while serving 130 million and maintaining the growth rate of domestic visitors at 8-9 per cent per year.

By 2030, the country aims to welcome 35 million international visitors, with a growth rate of 13-15 per cent per year, while serving 160 million domestic tourists, with a growth rate of domestic tourists at 4-5 per cent per year.

Regarding the international market orientation, in 2022-2025, the tourism sector aims to fully restore traditional foreign markets and attract tourists from emerging markets like India or the Middle East.

In 2026-30, the tourism sector aims to maintain and expand the scale of traditional markets like Northeast Asian countries, Europe, the ASEAN region, North America, Russia, and Oceania, and increase its market share of customers with high spending capacity, as well as diversify markets towards sustainable development.

For the domestic market, in 2022-25, the growth momentum of the domestic tourist market is expected to be maintained.

In 2026-30, the exploitation of the domestic market will continue, with target market segments diversified to include family, youth, education tourism, corporate travels, and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions).

The message of ‘Việt Nam – Timeless Charm’ will continue to be used for marketing Việt Nam’s tourism to international markets, while 'Việt Nam – Endless Beauty’ will be used for domestic markets.

Regarding tourism products, Việt Nam’s tourism will focus on marketing major groups of tourism products like sea and island tourism, cultural tourism, ecotourism, urban tourism (with key tourist cities such as Hạ Long, Nha Trang, Phan Thiết, Phú Quốc, Đà Lạt, and Sa Pa in the spotlight), and linking tourism with night-time economic development.

In addition, a focus will be placed on the development of new tourism products, such as tourism combining medical treatment and health care, agricultural and rural tourism, industrial tourism, sports tourism, products serving the diverse needs of tourists such as MICE tourism, educational tourism, yacht tourism, and beauty tourism. VNS