MICEreview talks to Mr Pham Quang Hung, Director, International Cooperation Department, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism on issues facing Vietnam’s MICE industry. How much has Vietnam’s MICE industry grown over the past few years? HUNG: While we have no research data on this, figures from the Vietnam General Statistics Office revealed that among the 1.85 foreign tourists traveling to Vietnam in the first six months of 2006, as many as 278,000 visitors traveled in combination with attending seminars and conferences. This is an increase of 26.3 percent over the same period of the previous year. What are some the advantages and attractions of Vietnam as a MICE destination?
HUNG: Vietnam is a safe and friendly destination, and an attractive country for foreign investors. Our tourism infrastructure, particularly in the hotel and resort system, is developing at a rapid rate to meet customers’ demands for both business and leisure. Apart from commercial hubs such as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, we also have beautiful beaches, world-class historical heritage and ecological sites in Hue, Danang, Nia Chang, Ba Ria Vung Tau and throughout the country to cater to different types of MICE requirements. Yes, but transportation to these destinations are still not so convenient for international visitors. What are some of the steps taken to improve this? HUNG: We are constantly improving land transport, accommodation and other facilities to bring tourists and MICE visitors to these destinations. For example, Phu Bai Airport that serves the central province of Thua Thien-Hue will be upgraded to become an international airport by 2010. This will include building a new passenger terminal and expansion of runway to handle bigger aircrafts. What are some of the challenges facing the development of Vietnam’s MICE industry? HUNG: In terms of infrastructure and services, there is a lot of room for development in hotel accommodation and meeting facilities. We will focus investment in infrastructure and prioritize planning areas for four to five star hotels. It is imperative to have meeting rooms with high capacity and high-tech AV and communication equipments for MICE events. There is a lack of skills and professionalism in terms of human resources, hence we are looking into training and skills development for people in the MICE and hospitality industry. Finally, we face fierce competition from neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. While we have actively promoted Vietnam as a tourist destination, we are only now embarking on research and study on developing a marketing strategy specifically for the MICE market. We are looking forward to launch marketing and awareness programmes in a synchronous plan so as to project a unique image of Vietnam MICE tourism market. Comments are closed.
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