Hanoi (VNA) - The importantrole played by tourism communication in promoting products, orientingconsumption and adjusting the behaviour of relevant parties was the focus of discussion at aseminar recently held by the Vietnam Tourism Association (VTA).

General Director of FlamingoRedtours Nguyen Cong Hoan said the media is a bridge and an inseparable link in tourism development, adding that the media helps popularise policies of the Party and the State on tourism, and supportlocalities and businesses to promote destinations and tourism products to thepublic.

The media also give State agencies information on market trendsand fluctuations, or the demand and aspirations of tourists, businesses, andpeople, thus making appropriate policy adjustments.

Based on market reactions reflected by the media, businesses canbuild effective promotion plans and develop more attractive tourism products,Hoan noted.

Implementing a project to strengthen tourismcommunication activities until 2025 approved by the Prime Minister, manylocalities and businesses are making efforts to innovate methods and contents of communication activities on tourism, and increase the application of modern technology in this work.



Apart from focusing on promoting informationand images on the country and tourism potential through mass media, and socialnetworks, communication contents are also integrated in many activities andevents such as forums, conferences, seminars, fairs, and exhibitions at homeand abroad.

These efforts have contributed to increasing the level of recognition ofVietnamese tourism as well as the reputation of the national tourism brand onthe world tourism map.

However, participants at the seminar said tourismcommunication work of Vietnam is not coordinated and thus failing to produce a strong spillover effect, reducing the impact and influence ofgeneral policies.

Therefore, a nationalcommunication strategy on tourism is needed to help localities and businesses buildspecific plans, thereby creating overall strength and highlights for the workof tourism communication and promotion, they said.

From the perspective of a travel business, Hoan said to attract more visitors, the tourism industry need to carry out a larger-scalecommunication campaign.

In the context of the strong developmentof social media, which influences the travel habits of global tourists, thetourism industry should pay attention to promoting communication through newforms, especially social networks, he went on.

In the past four months, Vietnam welcomedmore than 1 million international visitors each month, bringing the totalnumber of international visitors by October 2023 to nearly 10 million, exceeding this year's 8 million target. However, the figure is equivalent to only 89% of the pre-COVID-19 level./.