Vietnam’s tourism festivals lack professionalism, diversity
Vietnam’s tourism watchdog needs to enrich the content and professionalism of festivals to help draw more foreign visitors, local travel agencies said.
Since the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) launched the national action program on tourism six years ago, festivals of all sizes have been held across the country, with over 300 in the first ten months of this year. February alone, the country’s Lunar New Year, saw up to 120 fests.
Despite this, they still fail to attract visitors, particularly foreigners, with major events in central Nha Trang, Danang and Ha Long unable to increase agency revenues or foreign arrivals, agencies said.
Diversity, organization
“To date there is no festival that really benefits tourism; they only help localities,” director of Lua Viet Co., Nguyen Van My noted.
Tran Xuan Hung, deputy director of VYC Tourism Co. said festivals do not impress foreigners based on diversity and content.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Duc Hy, of FidiTourist Travel Co said festivals pop up in different places, without promotion or cooperation, he elaborated.
VNAT thus should have more focused investment and better scheduling of the year’s festivities, they said.
It should also effectively promote festivals to foreigners and inform all travel agencies, domestic and abroad at the start of the year, emulating Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
According to international tourism experts, Vietnam has the potential to become the world’s fourth most intriguing destination by 2010.
By Cam Nhi - Thanh Nien - October 18, 2005.
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