NATION TOURISM YEAR 2010 AND
THANG LONG - HA NOI MILLENNIAL BIRTHDAY GRAND CEREMONY

Golden Tourism Opportunities

On October 10, 2009, a solemn ceremony to announce the National Tourism Year 2010 and the celebration of 1,000 year founding anniversary of Thang Long - Ha Noi was organized at the Ly Thai To Flower Garden, Hoan Kiem District, Ha Noi City. To provide more information on preparatory activities and tourism development opportunities for Ha Noi in particular and Vietnam in general, the Vietnam Business Forum has a talk with Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Mr. Mai Tien Dung, Deputy Director of the Ha Noi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr. Vu Quyet Thang, Derector of Hoangviet Travel Joint Stock Company and Ms Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai, PR Manager of FIDITOUR Travel Joint Stock Company.

    The global economic crisis and the complex development of H1N1 pandemic has deteriorated the development of the Vietnamese tourism industry this year but the year 2010 is expected to witness a rebound. How do you find the effect of the 1,000th founding anniversary of Thang Long-Ha Noi and the National Tourism Year 2010 with Ha Noi City as the host?

Mr. Mai Tien Dung:

The grand ceremony to celebrate the 1,000th founding anniversary of Thang Long - Ha Noi and the host of the National Tourism Year are golden opportunities to popularize Ha Noi as the secure, friendly and attractive destination with a host of unique cultural characteristics. It is not easy to find a city with a 1,000 year history, especially a capital city. A grand millennial grand anniversary is held in every 1,000 years and the next such a ceremony will take place in 3010. We are actually very lucky and this is an opportunity.
Ha Noi and the whole country are focusing on this event. The grand ceremony is attractive with a number of events that are attractive enough to bring international friends to Ha Noi and the National Tourism Year will add wings to the capital city to attract visitors. Through celebrative activities, films about Ha Noi will help Vietnamese and foreign visitors to know about an attractive, safe, beautiful and friendly city.These are wonderful crowd-pullers of Ha Noi at present.

Mr. Vu Quyet Thang:

The National Tourism Year in Ha Noi is a major event in 2010, incorporated with many other activities held in the city and other localities throughout the year to respond and celebrate the 1,000 year founding anniversary of Thang Long – Ha Noi.State apparatuses such as the Vietnam  National Administration of Tourism(VNAT) and the Ha Noi People’s Committee, Department of  Culture, Sports and Tourism have actively prepared and built meaningful programmers, campaigns and activities to introduce our culture to visitors. This is the chance to diffuse the beauty and potentiality of the Vietnamese tourism and this is the opportunity for the Vietnamese tourism industry to develop and walk abreast with regional hospitality industries.

To make these events successful next year,how are preparatory activities coming along?

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan:

The National Tourism Year 2010 with a number of activities will be one of  the main contents of Vietnam’s tourism promotion programme in the domestic market and other countries.
In the spirit of a socializing tourism industry, together with investments of tourism companies,the Ha Noi tourism industry, together with investments of tourism companies, the Ha Noi tourism industry will also receive financial supports from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism(VNAT) to set up information kiosks at key points such lakesides or airports.
Besides,VNAT will help the city to buid up tourism data as well as information on the National Tourism Year 2010, maps, new tourist products(like city tours, former capital city visits, etc.)

       
Mr. Mai Tien Dung:
           
We expect the National Tourism Year 2010 in Ha Noi will consist of nine main programmes and activities: The National Tourism Year announcing ceremony; investments to improve the quality and build tourism products; launching of “Ha Noi welcomes guests” campaign, “green tourism year” and tour guide contest;
Completion of several tourism projects; organization of Thang Long - Ha Noi International Tourism Festval, and naming of tourist places for celebration of 1,000th birthday of  Thang Long - Ha Noi and the review of the National Tourism Year.
Apart from main programmer and activities of  the National Tourism Year, Ha Noi City will also coordinate with other provinces and cities in the country and sister cities in the world to organize more than 30 cultural and physical events such as Flower Street Festival, Bat Trang Pottery Exhibition, the three-region kite flying festival, cultural and art performances and trade fairs. Many cultural and art programmes in the framework of the event will also be launched.
At present, we have informed tourism companies of activities during the National Tourism Year 2010 for them to add to their tours to serve visitors best.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai:
        
FIDITOUR has prepared plans to draw up programmes and advertisements for upcoming tours for visitors attending the grand anniversary. According to the programme, the 10-day grand ceremony will last from October 1 to 10, 2010 with different daily themes. FIDITOUR will design some 15 tours based on the general theme. Apart from joining the grand cermemony, visitors will tour other places of interest such as Sa Pa, Ha Long, Yen Tu and other famous destinations in northern Vietname.

     This means Vietnam is ready for the launching of the National Tourism Year 2010 and we have high expectations of the Vietnamese tourism industry?

Mr. Mai Tien Dung:

In previous years,the National Tourism Year was organized in localities with rich but undeveloped tourism. This year, Ha Noi is selected and this is a golden chance for the tourism development of Ha Noi in particular and Vietnam in general.
We place high expectations on the results of tow events but we can not compute the results. The root to develop tourism is the budget of each family. At present,the economy signals the recovery but, according to many experts, it will revive in the W shape and the current recovery is not actually sustainable.
We cannot tell the result but we will try our best with our huma resources, finances and materials, and will coordinate with competent units to regain the recovery of the tourism industry.

Mr. Vu Quyet Thang:

With scrupulous preparations for contents of a series of up coming activities and events by State organs, with active response of the Ha Noi tourism industry in particular and the Vietnamese tourism industry in general, and with the better global economy, we can expect a great number of arrivals to the National Tourism Year Ha Noi 2010 and the 1,000th founding anniversary of Thang Long - Ha Noi.
To attain expected results, tourism companies need to pay attention to their product quality and receive supports from tourism authorities.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai:

Under the current economic context, major tourism and cultural events will help develop the tourism industry, attract foreign tourists into Vietnam and develop the domestic hospitality industry, If the two events are advertisrd by Vietnam, the number of international arrivals to the country will rebound after two years of decline.

View detail: Part 1, Part 2.