Despite
recording increasing numbers of visitors over the years, Vietnam has a long way
to develop quality tourism services, visitors and experts say.
The sector is hampered by poor service
quality, bad infrastructure and a lack of entertainment activities, they add.
Robert Tan, a Singaporean tourism expert, told
Thanh Nien Vietnam’s tourism environment had yet to improve over the last few
years, and in some instances, it has gotten worse.
He cited increased robbery as a main factor,
adding foreign tourists are feeling more insecure while traveling on the
streets in Ho Chi Minh City’s downtown areas.
“Recently, a group of Singaporean tourists
decided to go in a tour around the Cho Lon area in HCMC. When they got out of
the Ben Thanh Market, they accidentally took an illegal taxi.
“The taxi driver forced them to pay an
exorbitant fee: VND500,000 (US$24) for the ride which actually cost only
VND80,000.
“The tourists took photos of the driver, the
car number plate and threatened to call the police, so the driver finally gave
in.”
Bui Thi Hong Ha, deputy chief of An Giang
Province's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the Mekong Delta
would have been a far more popular tourist attraction if traffic from HCMC to
the region was better.
“The transport system is overloaded: traffic
congestion happens on both waterways and roads, which deters tourists from
visiting the Delta,” she said.
Phan Dinh Hue, director of Vong Tron Viet
(Viet Circle) travel agency, said Vietnam can only attract tourists who have
never been to the country.
“I think the increase in foreign arrivals over
the last few years is because of the fact that Vietnam is a new destination for
the tourists.
“They visit Vietnam out of curiosity, but they
would not come back.”
Vietnam is also critically in need of
entertainment shows to attract foreign tourists, who have repeatedly complained
they don’t know what to do at night, after dinner, in Vietnam.
Hyung taek Hugh Lim, chief representative of
South Korean Embassy’s Tourism and Culture Department, said there is a lack of
art performance shows at fixed hours.
“It is really hard for South Korean tourists
to find places to go at night. We
usually lead them to massage and karaoke parlors,” he said.
In South Korea, around 10 art performance
programs designed specifically for foreigners are organized at fixed hours,
both at night and during the day, according to Lim.
“Dancing clubs, bars and coffee shops open
until very late, while shopping malls are open around the clock.
“Annually, nine million foreign tourists help
bring in $10 billion for South Korean tourism industry. On average, a tourist
spends around $1,200 a day in South Korea.”
Mohd Akbal Setia, chief representative of
Tourism Malaysia in Vietnam, said HCMC has a lot of dancing clubs, but not many
places for traditional art performanceS.
“I usually recommend Malaysian men to massage
parlors and women to shop at the Ben Thanh Market,” he said.
Suggestions
According to Lim, Vietnam has a lot of diverse
cultural characteristics, which can be interpreted into art performance
programs.
“Vietnam should encourage private companies to
take part in the organization of art performance shows, just like South Korea
and Thailand do.
Nguyen Minh Quyen, director of Ben Thanh
Tourist, said travel firms are the first to be blamed for the lack of
entertainment activities.
“However, the government should also provide
financial support for travel firms until they can organize the program periodically
by themselves,” he said.
Quyen noted that it is not really hard to
design art performances for tourists, because Vietnam has a lot of traditional
musical instruments and folk songs from different regions.
Ben Thanh Tourist used to work with Tran Huu
Trang Opera House in HCMC to organize variety shows, which could not maintained
due to the lack of funds.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Thuong Hoang Hai, chief of
the Marketing and Sales Department of Vietnam Airlines, said Vietnam should
cooperate with neighboring Southeast Asian countries – Cambodia, Laos and
Myanmar – to create a “common visa” for foreign tourists to the four countries,
“I think when a visa can help tourists travel
through the four countries, foreign arrivals will definitely surge,” he said.
By Tran Tam, Thanh Nien News
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment