VIETNAM LOOKS NORTH

The stunning cityscape of Ho Chi Minh City

China continues to be a vital source market for Vietnam as efforts to boost the business events sector step up a gear.

Vu Nam, deputy director of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), said China is Vietnam’s top performer, with the country welcoming more than four million visitors in 2017 – a 48 per cent year-on-year increase.

He added the business events market is also of increasing importance, with a rising number of Chinese business travellers heading to central Vietnam, which is emerging as a hub for corporate gatherings.

Marketing campaigns highlighting the area’s capacity for hosting events, coupled with its long stretches of beaches and rich culture, will be stepped up throughout 2018, with VNAT attending a host of tradeshows and events this year to promote Vietnam’s potential to China.

As well, general destination promotion efforts by VNAT include launching a Mandarin website, hosting fam trips and increased advertising supported by a heftier budget.

Also tapping into China’s potential, is Asia DMC, which in December last year, created a dedicated business events department in China equipped with a Chinese- and English-speaking team. It offers a range of itineraries and services that take in a range of cultural activities – an element of business trips that the Chinese market is increasingly demanding.

Tran Thi Lan, Asia DMC’s head of Chinese market development, told TTGmice that Chinese planners especially seek “memorable, thematic experiences” that will leave their delegates impressed.

Nguyen Duc Quynh, deputy general director of Furama Resort Danang, has noted a rise in the number of Chinese visitors to the coastal city in central Vietnam in the last five years, since the commencement of the first China-Danang flight.

Furama Resort Danang is part of the larger Ariyana Tourism Complex, which comprises the new Ariyana Convention Centre, Furama Villas Danang and the International Convention Palace.

He added: “Prior to 2017, most Chinese guests visited Danang in leisure groups but now, more and more MICE groups are choosing Danang as the destination for their events.”

Three years ago, the five-star resort opened sales and marketing offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Guangzhou. A monthly newsletter in Mandarin about Furama’s facilities and business event activities is distributed to tour operators in China and Hong Kong, while a Mandarin version of its website is under construction.

In 2017, Chinese guests accounted for 12 per cent of Furama’s international guests, and this is expected to increase to 18 per cent by the end of this year.

Nguyen said: “This will definitely be achieved as the number of RFPs from China has increased by 45 percent.”

Read full article at TTGmice: https://www.ttgmice.com/2018/07/02/vietnam-looks-north/

http://www.mekongtourism.org/