Hanoi (VNA)♒ - To accelerate the recovery of Vietnam's green economy and make a breakthrough in the new phase after a year of "reopening" following COVID-19, investors and businesses have proposed numerous solutions.

Developing tourism through chains

Speaking at a nationwide conference on tourism development held on March 15, Chairman of the Imex Pan Pacific Group (IPPG) Johnathan Hanh Nguyen suggested attaching importance to tourism value chain covering various economic sectors such as transportation, accommodation, cuisine, innovative technology, tourism, entertainment, sightseeing, shopping and other services. To fully develop this model, the management role of the State is crucial in directing, coordinating and creating conditions for sectors.

 
According to him, Thailand adopted tourism value chain strategy and welcomed over 11 million foreign tourists.

He also proposed learning from Singapore, China’s Hainan to enrich services and provide opportunities for tourists to spend money, even to the point of exhausting their budgets and wanting to continue shopping.

♏ In his opinion, developing health tourism model is also essential as it is a fast-growing and high-revenue segment in the tourism industry.

He also proposed building outlet centres as most countries adopt this model, offering discounts by 50%-90% on products to stimulate tourist spending.

The system of duty-free shops will help travel companies compete on tour prices, as they are compensated with commission revenue when a company operates duty-free shopping for tourists, he said, adding that capable partners should be also selected to collaborate with international organisations and develop entertainment complexes, resorts, casinos, and globally-recognised theme parks. These complexes will attract a large international customer base and achieve similar growth rates as seen in Hong Kong (China), Taiwan (China), Singapore, the Republic of Korea, and Japan.

Proper breakthrough policies

Chairman of Sun Group's Board of Directors Dang Minh Truong proposed that relevant ministries and agencies promptly consider revising provisions of the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam to submit to the Government and National Assembly.

He suggested expanding the scope of countries and territories eligible for unilateral visa exemption, particularly in key markets.

♏ Australia spends 4 billion USD per year on tourism, Canada over 33 billion USD, while countries in Northern Europe such as the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Belgium 21 -26 billion USD. These figures surpass those in countries like Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, which are currently exempt from visa to Vietnam, he said.

General Director of Vietnam Airlines Le Hong Ha said the national flag carrier has reopened all international routes and launched two new routes to India and the US.

💧 Agreeing with Truong, he said Vietnam should welcome tourists with easy immigration policies. Additionally, there is a need for a National Tourism Programme and a Prime Minister's task force on national tourism to accelerate recovery and development.

Participants at the event said that if the Government adopts appropriate and breakthrough strategies and policies for sustainable tourism development in the coming period, not only domestic but also foreign tourist arrivals will experience even faster growth./.