LookAtVietnam – Visa Inc. and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) have ranked Vietnam in the list of top 10 markets for travel and tourism employment in the region in their joint survey released on Monday.

The travel and tourism industry generates 74.5 million jobs in China and 30.5 million jobs in India, according to the World Travel and Tourism Authority.

The survey does not clarify the number of employees working in the industry in Vietnam. However the Tourism Working Group under the Vietnam Business Forum disclosed this US$4.5-billion industry employed one out of every nine people in the country.

The travel and tourism industry was a major employer in nearly every destination in Asia Pacific, Duffel stressed in the statement about the Visa and PATA Asia Pacific travel intentions survey entitled “Determining Travel Preferences in 2009 and Beyond.”

The survey finds 36% of the more than 5,500 people surveyed from 11 tourism source marketplaces worldwide said they did not expect to make any changes to their travel plans in the near future while the rest were reviewing their plans in the wake of economic woes.

The survey shows 57% of those respondents reviewing their plans would still travel but look for cheaper alternatives while 38% would travel within their own country instead. Only 36% of the respondents said they would postpone travel.

“While the global economic situation will impact tourism, it is unlikely to bring travel to a standstill,” said Truong Minh Ha, Visa country manager for Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. “What our survey has shown is that travelers will be more creative in their selection of destinations.”

Duffel called for the travel industry to deliver creative solutions to shape promotions and offerings that suit travelers’ desires for new, economically sensitive travel options in order to keep people traveling.

According to the survey, Australians, British, Singaporeans, Indians and French were less likely than the average respondent to let economic concerns keep them from traveling. Meanwhile, those from Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and China would have their plans altered.

Downsizing travel plans was also a popular option for frequent travelers surveyed, with 70% saying that they would seek less expensive alternatives such as a change in destination or itinerary.

Domestic travel was an option being considered by 38% of the respondents, with more travelers from Japan, India, the United States and China opting for local holidays. Women were more likely than men to select the domestic option.

For the period from now till 2010, the survey shows Australia, Japan and Hong Kong as the top three destinations in Asia Pacific for travelers. This region is also named as the number one for those intending to travel overseas in the next two years.

Ha of Visa said the finding reinforced the vital role of the travel and tourism industry in the regional economy. She furthered despite the economic slowdown, last year saw the regional industry grow 5.76%, which is nearly double the world average rate, and that the industry accounted for more than 5.5% of the total gross domestic product in the region.

Duffel of PATA urged the Asia Pacific to have a constant supply of trained, ambitious service employees to keep up with “the impressive year-on-year growth in the region.”

VietNamNet/SGT