VietNamNet Bridge
- Two tourists prepares for kite surfing on a beach of the coastal resort town
of Phan Thiet.
The tourism industry is projected to generate US$4.6 billion this year,
according to local tourist authorities.

Travel firms reported an increasing demand for domestic and
outbound tours on Christmas and New Year holidays this year. Many cited the
fact that the holidays fall on weekends, which is a motivating factor for the
enthusiasm.

Doan Thi Thanh Tra, marketing manager of the Ho Chi Minh
City-based Saigontourist, said most domestic air tours during the holidays were
sold out by mid-November.

Meanwhile, the number of bookings for outbound tours
increased 17 percent from last year, she said.

Lai Huu Phuong, a senior official at the HCMC-based Ben
Thanh Tourist claimed that although few have booked holiday tours, he remains
very optimistic.

Last-minute bookings have become a popular trend and
business is booming, he said.

“Normally, few people travel in October and November,”
Phuong said. “But this year, the situation was different. Our company had 3,000
guests in November - the highest ever.”

Moreover, the number of local travelers heading abroad went
up this year, too, despite the US dollar rising against the dong.

This Christmas and New Year’s, domestic tourists continue to
favor popular spots like Da Lat, Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Da Nang, and Phan Thiet. Outbound tourists,
meanwhile, are packing their bags for Hong Kong,
Singapore and Malaysia, tour
operators said.

“Air tourism is developing very fast,” said Tu Quy Thanh,
director of Travelink. “As long as we have air tickets, we can sell the tour.”

The government said economic recovery has spurred tourism.
But the tourism boom appears to have outpaced economic growth.

Officials expect the economy to grow 6.7 percent this year.
Meanwhile, the tourism industry is projected to generate US$4.6 billion for the
country, a sharp increase from last year’s $3 billion.

Prices unchanged

Representatives from many travel agencies such as
Saigontourist, Travelink, Ben Thanh Tourist said tour prices for Christmas and
New Year holidays have not changed.

“The tour price for the holidays this year is relatively
stable,” said Nguyen Ngoc An, head of Fiditourist’s domestic travel department.

“Only a few tours have experienced a slight increase in
prices as local service providers raised their fees,” he said. “Tours to Con
Dao have seen the highest hike - more than 10 percent.”

On the other hand, tours for the New Lunar Year, which falls
in early February, will cost much more as suppliers are expected to raise
prices for travel, cooking and hotel rooms, tour operators said.

A supermarket in Ho
Chi Minh City is crowded with shoppers. Vietnam’s
retail industry has grown 25 percent so far this year.

Inbound markets

Vietnam’s
tourism industry has plans to increase advertising activities throughout Asia
and Europe, an official said.

Vu The Binh, head of the Travel Department under the Vietnam
National Administration of Tourism, said his agency has pinned high hopes on
these markets owing to high traffic from these regions over the past several
years.

China and
ASEAN are considered the largest per capita suppliers of tourists while Europe,
Japan, and Korea supply
more moneyed visitors, he said.

Vietnam
received 4.6 million foreign tourists in the first 11 months of this year, a
36.5 percent increase over the same period last year, according to the General
Statistics Office.

The 11-month figure has exceeded the target of 4.5 million
visitors for the whole of 2010 set by the National Administration of Tourism.

According to the government, Vietnam may be able to attract more
than five million tourists by the end of this year - surpassing the record of
4.23 million in 2008.

Source: Thanh
Nien/TBKTSG