Vietnam: Deploying activities to stimulate domestic tourism in 2024

Vietnam: Deploying activities to stimulate domestic tourism in 2024 (Internet image)

On April 19, 2024, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam issued Official Dispatch 1654/BVHTTDL-DLQGVN on the deployment of activities to stimulate domestic tourism in 2024.

Vietnam: Deploying activities to stimulate domestic tourism in 2024

Specifically, to implement the Prime Minister's directive on comprehensive, fast, and sustainable tourism development with the motto "Sản phẩm đặc sắc - Dịch vụ chuyên nghiệp - Thủ tục thuận tiện và đơn giản - Giá cả cạnh tranh - Môi trường vệ sinh sạch và đẹp - Điểm đến an toàn, văn minh và thân thiện" ("Distinctive Products - Professional Services - Convenient and Simple Procedures - Competitive Prices - Clean and Beautiful Environment - Safe, Civilized, and Friendly Destinations"); to concretize the tasks assigned by the Prime Minister in Directive 08/CT-TTg dated February 23, 2024, to create a high level of consensus and agreement in the perception and actions of the entire tourism sector, related sectors, localities, businesses, and residents, and to promote tourism development, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has provided guidance and requests localities to implement the domestic tourism stimulus program with the theme "Người Việt đi du lịch Việt - Việt Nam tôi yêu” ("Vietnamese People Traveling in Vietnam - the Vietnam that I love") in order to welcome the April 30 - May 1 holiday and the summer tourism season in 2024.

To successfully organize the program, it is proposed that the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities direct the local authorities and specialized agencies to promptly implement the following contents:

- Taking the lead in coordinating with agencies, organizations, businesses, and the local population to launch the program "Người Việt đi du lịch Việt - Việt Nam tôi yêu” ("Vietnamese People Traveling in Vietnam - the Vietnam that I love") in the area with specific contents, new tourism programs, packages with good service quality to enhance tourist experiences, diversify products, and improve service quality.

- The Department of Tourism/Department of 
 Cultural, Sports and Tourism/Tourism Promotion Center should organize programs to introduce destinations, link tourism development, and ensure a safe, friendly, and quality tourism environment.

- Widely disseminate information about the operating hours of tourism areas, destinations, tourism products, and services available in the area to attract tourists during the April 30 - May 1 holiday and the summer tourism season in 2024. Additionally, build and improve regulations and guidelines to ensure security, safety, cleanliness, and civility for tourism activities, tourists, workers, and the local community.

- Mobilize and encourage tourism-related businesses in the area to participate, provide guidance, monitor, and urge businesses to strictly comply with quality service standards when participating in stimulus programs.

- Assign the Department of Tourism and local authorities to regularly inspect and control the quality of tourism services in general and the implementation of stimulus programs in the area; compile and report the results of the stimulus program implementation to the People's Committees of provinces/cities and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (through the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism) before January 15, 2025 for evaluation and lessons learned for future activities and programs.

Tourism development policies in Vietnam

- The State shall introduce policies to mobilize sources for tourism development to ensure tourism is a national spearhead industry.

- Organizations and individuals doing tourism business shall be entitled to the highest level of investment incentive and assistance when the State issues and adopts policies on investment incentive and assistance.

- The State shall give priority to provision of funding for the following activities:

+ Inspection, assessment, preservation, enhancement and development tourism resources;

+ Formulation of master plans for tourism development;

+ Tourism promotion, development of national and local tourism trademarks;

+ Construction of infrastructure in service of tourism development.

- The State shall apply assistance policies to the following activities:

+ Investment in high-quality tourism infrastructure and services;

+ Research into and orientation towards the development of tourism products;

+ Provision of training in tourism;

+ Investment in new tourism products that have positive impacts on the environment and increase the participation of local communities; investment in sea and island tourism, eco-tourism, community-based tourism, cultural tourism and other typical tourism products;

+ Application of modern science and technology to the management and development of tourism;

+ Development of tourism in areas with tourism potential; use of local human resources;

+ Investment in establishment of large-scale tourism service complexes; duty-free shops and shopping centers in service of tourists.

- The State shall introduce policies to enable tourists to travel, stay, enter, exit, transit and follow customs procedures, facilitate value added tax refund, and protect other lawful rights and interests of tourists.

(Article 5 of the Law on Tourism 2017)

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