Vietnam tourism to launch new marketing campaign
By Dao Loan - The Saigon Times Daily
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| International visitors arrive at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC - Photo: Dao Loan |
HCMC – The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) will launch a national marketing campaign called Vietnam – Your Destination, to woo both local and foreign travelers, after the success of last year’s Impressive Vietnam project, an official said.
According to the VNAT draft, the campaign’s activities would promote the country to tourists by implementing promotion programs, designing new products and improving service quality.
VNAT will combine with relevant departments and entrepreneurs to offer cheaper prices for travel and related services to foreign and local guests during the low season.
“The program will take place during August-September or September-October,” Vu The Binh, head of the Travel Department of VNAT told the Daily on Tuesday.
To coincide with the campaign, VNAT will encourage tourism service providers to offer 10 to 30% discounts to their customers.
For international tourists, VNAT will ask tour operators to create specific products relevant to the market. Each market will have at least one special promotion tour for travelers, as well as one to two familiarization trips for foreign travel agents and media.
VNAT is also working to develop MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions) tourism and accordingly will encourage tour operators to follow suit, organizing and selling the events.
VNAT will continue to carry out promotion activities in key markets including China, North Asia, France and West Europe, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, ASEAN and Russia.
Through the program, VNAT will give all international tourists who travel to Vietnam under package tours a souvenir. The gifts will be symbolic to Vietnam.
The tourism department sees overseas Vietnamese residents as particularly important in Vietnam’s promotion. Through the program the VNAT plan to call such people back to their home country, and to encourage other foreign travelers to visit too.
To promote the program, the department will organize meetings with Overseas Vietnamese Societies in France, America, England, and Australia.
According to Binh, the Vietnam-Your Destination program is more than just a marketing program, but a means to improve tourism products and services.
As part of the campaign, VNAT will organize a competition to find the best souvenir gift design.
Binh said the department had received positive feedback from relevant stakeholders. They have submitted the plan to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
“We expect the ministry will approve the program this weekend,” Binh said.