Smokeless industry, great contribution to the economy
In 2024, Vietnam has made a strong mark on the world tourism map with proud achievements. At the 2024 World Travel Awards, Vietnam not only won the title of "Asia's Leading Destination" but was also honored in many other categories. Cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were recognized as leading city tourism destinations, while resorts in Da Nang and Phu Quoc continued to affirm their position in the international arena.
The Vietnamese government has always paid attention to, issued and implemented many mechanisms and policies for rural agricultural development, and included rural tourism in major development programs. One of the important orientations is to "develop local specialties, craft villages, develop service economy, and rural tourism on the basis of preserving and promoting local culture".
Vietnam's policies such as visa exemption for tourists from some countries, encouraging the development of community tourism and eco-tourism have helped enhance the country's image, create conditions for sustainable development and maintain unique cultural identity. Accordingly, Vietnam is exempting visas for citizens of 25 countries, of which 13 countries are unilaterally exempted from visas: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belarus.
In recent times, Vietnam's tourism has received strong investment and development, making an increasingly large contribution to socio-economic development. In the first 11 months of 2024 alone, Vietnam's tourism served more than 100 million domestic visitors and welcomed 15.8 million international visitors, an increase of 41% over the same period in 2023 and is aiming for the target of 18 million international visitors in 2024.
At the first international conference on rural tourism in December 2024, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long emphasized that tourism is an important economic sector, a "smokeless industry", contributing increasingly to the economies of countries and is a development trend of the future. Most countries in the world are very interested in investing in developing tourism in a green, friendly and sustainable direction. Currently, there are many rich and diverse forms and models of tourism such as cultural tourism, eco-tourism, resort tourism, discovery tourism, medical tourism, etc.; in which, rural tourism is becoming more and more popular and developed.
Developing rural tourism not only promotes economic transformation, reduces the development gap between rural and urban areas, but also promotes, honors, preserves, enriches, develops and spreads unique local values, contributes to promoting socio-economic development, and brings a better life to people.
Every Vietnamese is a tourism ambassador.
By 2025, Vietnam tourism strives to welcome 25-28 million international visitors; 130 million domestic visitors, maintaining a domestic visitor growth rate of 8-9%/year, directly contributing 8-9% to GDP.
These are some specific goals of Vietnam tourism set out in the Tourism System Planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2045, approved by the Prime Minister and announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on October 18, at the conference to announce the planning of the cultural and sports facilities network and tourism system for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2045.
The plan also sets a target that by 2025, Vietnam tourism will create about 6.3 million jobs, of which about 2.1 million are direct jobs; by 2030, it will create about 10.5 million jobs (about 3.5 million direct jobs). Tourism contributes to preserving and promoting cultural values, creating livelihoods for the community, contributing to the successful implementation of national target programs; improving people's knowledge and spiritual life. Developing sustainable tourism associated with environmental protection; effectively responding to climate change.
To continue to strongly promote tourism development, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long said that a comprehensive approach is needed to ensure unity in awareness and action on sustainable rural tourism development. All development strategies need to focus on preserving natural resources, ecosystems and local cultural heritage, in parallel with economic development.
Rural tourism development needs to be based on core issues: Always put the long-term interests of the local community first; provide authentic experience values for tourists, while respecting and preserving the good, unique values of rural areas to spread and last forever.
At the same time, it is necessary to increase the exchange of experiences and share good models and good practices in rural tourism development... to improve the effectiveness of rural tourism management and development. Promote international cooperation and strengthen public-private partnerships in rural tourism development. In particular, it is necessary to establish and expand the connection network between policy makers, businesses, financial institutions, investors and local communities.
“Vietnam is ready to continue to actively cooperate with the international community and the United Nations Tourism Organization to implement new initiatives and approaches to develop rural tourism under the motto “one village, one product”; “each person is a tourism ambassador”; “each locality - one unique tourism product” - Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long emphasized.
(Posted on the special edition of Lao Dong Xuan At Ty)
