VietNamNet Bridge – The tourism industry is designing 100 promotional tours to promote tourism in the time of crisis but many hoteliers are not sure whether this project is feasible or not.

Foreign visitors in Hue city City.

“Slashing prices can cause many difficulties for the tourism industry. But without promotional campaigns, the number of foreign tourists coming to Vietnam will further fall,” said the vice chief of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) at a recent meeting.

Cuong also said that the price reduction policy may have to be prolonged till next year to help the domestic tourism industry recover.

VNAT plans to make public its 100 low-cost package tours for foreign visitors in early 2009. These tours will be introduced to travel firms, partners and the media at the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF). VNAT is frantically choosing 15-20 big travel companies to design the tours, which will have prices 30-50% lower than normal.

The General Director of Majestic Saigon Hotel, Tao Van Nghe, worries that as hotels have to take into account their profit they can’t commit to cut room rates by 30-50%.

A representative of the Rex Hotel, HCM City, Mac Kim Thuy Huong, said: “This plan is designed by the VNAT so we have to join. However, we will select suitable markets to cut prices for while ensuring our hotel’s revenue.”

VNAT’s Vice Chief Cuong emphasised: “If travel companies and airlines commit to cut prices but hotels or one of the partners don’t participate in this plan, the package promotional tours can’t be realised.”

Besides designing the 100 promotional tours, the VNAT has also identified other methods to confront the economic crisis: boosting advertisement of Vietnam’s tourism, organising more Famtrip and Presstrips, attracting visitors from important markets and developing the local market.

(Source: VNE)