VietNamNet Bridge - If the high growth rate of international travelers in the last two years can be maintained, Vietnam’s tourism could catch up with Singapore in two years and with Thailand in 15 years, according to Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien.

Thien spoke about the competitiveness of Vietnam’s tourism after an NA deputy’s question about making Vietnam’s tourism on par with neighboring countries such as Thailand and Singapore. 

In 2016, Vietnam received 10 million foreign travelers, while Thailand received 32 million and Malaysia 26 million. Meanwhile, 16 foreign travelers visited Singapore, 12 million in Indonesia, and less than 6 million in Philippines. 

The gap between Vietnam and Thailand is large, considering the number of foreign travelers. However, the number of travelers to Vietnam is only 6 million lower than  Singapore.

The number of foreign travelers to Vietnam has been increasing rapidly in the last two years, by 30 percent. The high growth rate is expected to be maintained in upcoming years as the government has created measures to lure travelers. 

Thien said the government has decided to target 3-5 million foreign travelers more this year, an increase of 30-50 percent.

If the high growth rate of international travelers in the last two years can be maintained, Vietnam’s tourism could catch up with Singapore in two years and with Thailand in 15 years

Meanwhile, the growth rate of foreign travelers to Thailand was 7 percent and analysts believe it is not likely to increase sharply in upcoming years as it has already obtained a high number of travelers.

Comparing the competitiveness of Thailand and Vietnam as destinations, Thien said both Vietnam and Thailand have equal potential in tourism development and in natural and cultural heritage. 

However, Vietnam is inferior in service infrastructure and priority level, while Thailand is inferior in public security.

In order to catch up with neighboring countries, Vietnam needs to develop tourism rapidly. If Vietnam can maintain a 20 percent growth rate and Thailand a growth rate of 7 percent, Vietnam would catch up with Thailand in the number of travelers after 15 years.

As for Singapore, Vietnam would catch up with it in two years. Meanwhile, it’ll take 10 years to catch up with Malaysia.

However, Thien only mentioned the possibility of catching up with neighboring countries in terms of foreign travelers, and did not speak about the possibility of catching up in terms of revenue. He also did not say if the current high growth rate can be maintained once Vietnam reaches a high number of travelers.

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