Vietnam has for the first time designated tourism as an economic spearhead, targeting a GDP contribution of 4.5 percent from the sector, says a senior official.

Once it has been identified as a key sector, tourism will receive more attention from policy makers and have more growth opportunities, said Nguyen Van Tuan, Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

In an interview on the government website Saturday, Tuan said that his administration will this year launch more campaigns to promote Vietnamese tourism with a focus on sea tourism and ecotourism products.

Vietnam targets 5.3 million international arrivals and 30-31 million domestic tourists this year, generating revenues of VND100 trillion (US$5.65 billion), Tuan said.

Vietnam received a record five million foreign arrivals in 2010, an increase of 34.8 percent over 2009.