HANOI, 10 October 2022: With tourism activities returning, Vietnam addresses the skilled labour shortage facing the tourism workforce as travel demand outstrips labour supply.

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh told TTRW Vietnam is a rising tourism star in the Asia-Pacific region due to its early start on the path to recovery.

He called the favourable growth rates for both international and domestic tourists impressive. However, the pace of recovery is outpacing the supply of skilled and professional tourism workforce. There is a real challenge to speed up tourism training and focus on soft skills – English and other foreign languages, communications, and service skills – because of the limited capacity to deliver in these areas.

“Hard hit by COVID-19, we have witnessed this challenge which cannot be exaggerated. The tourism workforce has been severely impacted, many tourism enterprises have closed permanently, and tourism workers lost their jobs.

“At the early stage, when tourism activities are picking up, we face difficulties meeting demand and reinstating a healthy tourism workforce… many workers left the sector amid-pandemic. To mitigate the negative impacts, the Vietnam government has introduced numerous measures for the tourism sector, including financial and social support to boost tourism employment. At the same time, we cooperate with partners to conduct training programmes for tourism workers during this challenging time.”

According to Nguyen Trung Khanh, the government has drastically implemented many measures to realise the dual goal of protecting people’s health and maintaining socio-economic development.

With solidarity and synergy among the Tourism Managing Authorities, tourism businesses and residential communities in the prevention of the Covid-19 pandemic and tourism recovery, the close coordination between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and relevant ministries and agencies in renewing tourist destinations and products, creates favourable conditions for tourists to visit Vietnam.

He added: “We completely reopened tourism from 15 March 2022. Vietnam was the first country in Southeast Asia to open international tourism without any entry restrictions. We are promoting communications to attract international tourists to Vietnam with the campaign “Live fully in Vietnam. We focus on smart and sustainable tourism development followed by green and responsible travel.

According to Nguyen Trung Khanh, the Vietnam tourism marketing plan for 2022 to 2023 presents its high safety score and friendly hospitality. During the first nine months of 2022, Vietnam welcomed 1.65 million international tourists. Besides the global market, the tourism industry aims to serve 60 million domestic tourists by 2022. However, domestic visitors exceeded the set target, reaching 86.8 million.

“Domestic tourism is now almost recovering, and our goal in 2023 is to keep it at that level while we focus on attracting international visitors.”

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism will host the Mekong Tourism Forum 2022 in Quang Nam Province from 12 to 13 October. This year’s forum will focus on the theme of “Rebuild Tourism, Rebound with Resilience.”

“The MTF host province, Quang Nam, is a green tourism destination with well-known UNESCO world heritages of Hoi An Ancient Town and My Son Sanctuary. At the Mekong Tourism Forum 2022, we are pleased to introduce the optional tours that explore the rich cultural values, charming heritages and treasured islands in Quang Nam. It will contribute to the whole experience for delegates during their stay in Quang Nam,” Nguyen Trung Khanh noted.

HANOI, 10 October 2022: The Greater Mekong Subregion’s signature forum returns this year after the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted global travel activities since 2020.

Taking place in Hanoi, Vietnam, from 12 to 13 October, the forum attracts more than 250 regional tourism leaders and experts.

Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) executive director Suvimol Thanasarakij says registrations for the Mekong Tourism Forum 2022 (MTF 2022) from the public and private sectors show the pent-up demand for travel goes beyond travellers to the people who make travel happen. The long pause in presenting and selling travel content in overseas markets is finally over.

“This year’s edition of Mekong Tourism Forum 2022 has received an overwhelming response from tourism stakeholders in the region,” she explained in an interview with TTRW. “Part of the success can be attributed to the forum’s host country, Vietnam, which continues to attract international and regional guests. The host country has also made every effort to encourage travel in the post-Covid-19 era. It intends to use this in-person event as a face-to-face networking opportunity, re-uniting Mekong tourism stakeholders after the pandemic disrupted travel businesses.

Hosted by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism in Quang Nam Province from 12 to 13 October, the MTF 2022 focuses on the theme of “Rebuild Tourism, Rebound with Resilience.” This forum focuses on targeted regional efforts and cross-sectoral collaboration to foster real action toward rebuilding a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable tourism industry.

The event highlights are three-panel discussions under the topics: “Social Enterprises: A Purposeful and Powerful Tool for Sustainable Tourism Recovery, Development and Promotion,” “New Ways of Connecting Sustainable Tourism Suppliers and Buyers,” and “Technology: Unlocking Green Tourism Opportunities.”

All of the panel discussions will be joined by representatives from both public and private sectors who will be reflecting their voices and sharing insightful information, including critical trends and outlooks toward driving sustainable tourism growth in the region. Delegates will learn about sustainable tourism models from speakers who are driving social enterprises and community-based tourism, as well as global travel companies and data technology firm who will share their perspectives and tools for business recovery. Meanwhile, the MTF also provides space to exhibit community-based tourism, allowing local communities from different countries to promote their travel-related products and services.

The MTF is recognised as the GMS signature forum. Member countries co-organise this influential event annually on a rotating basis. Suvimol said that among the challenges facing businesses in the post-pandemic era, this year’s MTF provides a platform for public-private sector collaborations to help small and medium-sized enterprises stay resilient.

Last year, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the MTCO released the Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Recovery Communications Plan to support a safe and sustainable tourism recovery in the region. The roadmap focuses on disseminating accurate and engaging information from member countries, including updates on travel policies, restrictions, and border re-opening status.

As part of the communication plan, the MTCO also released Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Recovery Communications Toolkit to assist small businesses in learning more about how the online tool might boost their business recovery. The MTCO also participated in seminars organised by intergovernmental organisations such as Mekong Institute and ASEAN Secretariat to promote Mekong tourism and exchange information to help the region become resilient and sustainable.

Meanwhile, the MTCO is now promoting a social media campaign called #MekongPostcard challenge! to inspire travellers to visit the Mekong region and encourage locals in these destinations to highlight their favourite hangouts and attractions. Aligned with the communication plan, MTCO will soon launch a series of interview articles via its media platforms highlighting tourism experts and role models in the sustainable tourism sector to inspire local operators to embrace the sustainable way of doing business.

The GMS comprises six member countries: Cambodia, China (Yunnan and Guangxi provinces), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The MTCO received contributions from the member countries and was initially tasked with assisting the GMS Tourism Working Group in implementing the GMS Tourism Sector Strategy (TSS) that envisioned the GMS as a single unified destination.

According to Suvimol, all six member states will continue their commitment and contribution to the MTCO, including Myanmar. The member countries share the same goal to propel the progress of this tourism framework and promote sustainable tourism to benefit the region.

MTCO serves as the secretariat for the GMS TWG to promote public-private partnerships and works with Destination Mekong, the destination marketing organisation led by private sector partners that develop and manage commercial marketing initiatives.

Meanwhile, to expand partnerships and collaboration, Suvimol says the MTCO is currently exploring the possibility of working with ASEAN and other Sub-regional Working Groups such as IMT-GT and BIMP-EAGA.