At a Hanoi conference on Saturday, Doctor Nguyen Van Manh, head of the National Economics University’s hospitality and tourism faculty said foreign tourist companies with strong financial capability, professionalism and a deep understanding of international tourists will be a “major force” for Vietnamese counterparts to handle.

Ngo Duc Anh, expert from the Hanoi-based Vietnam Development Forum, an organization responsible for studying methods to develop Vietnam, were concerned Vietnamese travel companies could not only lose their customers but good staff to international biggies penetrating post-WTO Vietnam.

He suggested Vietnamese enterprises form joint ventures with strong foreign counterparts, apply high-tech and boost advertising.

Thanh Hai Thanh, director of Ben Thanh Tourist Company, said 80 percent of his inbound customers had been sent by foreign companies.

At others, this rate can be as high as 90 percent, he added.

Le Duc Ke director of a Ben Thanh’s Hanoi branch said “we don’t need to wait for WTO [for international companies to lure their customers]. For a long time, many foreign travel firms have been booking air tickets [to Vietnam], and hotels [in Vietnam]. What is left for Vietnam [travel companies] is only to supply tourist guides and cars”.

However, Hoang Tuan Anh, deputy head of the National Administration of Tourism, seemed more optimistic.

“WTO accession will bring many opportunities to Vietnamese tourism but also create great challenges…opportunities will slip from our hands if we do not know how to create new momentum counter the challenges,” he said.

‘Challenges’ does not carry a negative meaning as tight competition can become a motivation for the tourism industry to develop if we are active and determined to promote the whole nation’s strength to cash in on opportunities and overcome challenges, he added.

The conference was held by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the Vietnamese Communist Party’s online newspaper.

Vietnam is expected to draw 3.6 million international tourists and 17.5 million domestic tourists this year.

Total revenues from the tourism industry are estimated to reach US$2 billion. By 2010, the tourism sector is expected to attract 6 million international tourists and 26 million domestic ones

Source: Thanh Nien