PR No.: PR 12025

“The tourism sector has been a major factor in job creation, economic development and poverty alleviation in Vietnam, leaving no doubt that tourism has played a crucial role in our country’s overall socio-economic development,” said Vice-President Nguyen Thi Doan.  

The Vice-President was speaking after receiving UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, who presented an Open Letter from UNWTO and WTTC on the significance of tourism to global growth and development.

“Vietnam is a tourism success story,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “The country has clearly identified tourism as key to its future prosperity, has implemented the appropriate policies and strategies and, as a result, has transformed Vietnam into a leading tourism destination in Asia.”

David Scowsill, President & CEO of WTTC, said: "Vietnam must be recognized for its admirable commitment to Travel & Tourism. The sector already accounts for 4.3% of Vietnam's GDP and 3.7% of all jobs - numbers which are expected to rise at almost double the global average over the course of the next 10 years."

Meeting with the Vice-President, Mr. Rifai underscored the importance of government support for the tourism sector to stimulate investment, he said, as well as ensuring efficient coordination among relevant ministries and tourism industries.

In 2011, 6 million international tourists visited Vietnam and this figure is set to increase. Close to 1.9 million tourists visited the country in the first three months of 2012 alone, an increase of 25% compared to the same period in 2011. Revenue from tourism was also up, with close to US$ 2 billion in international tourism receipts in the first quarter of 2012, up 14% as compared to the same period in 2011.  

Note to Editors:

Through the Global Leaders for Tourism Campaign, UNWTO and WTTC are jointly presenting heads of state and government around the world an Open Letter which calls on them to acknowledge tourism’s key role in delivering more sustained and balanced growth and to prioritize the sector higher in national policies in order to maximize its potential. The Open Letter outlines Travel & Tourism’s value as one of the world’s largest generators of jobs, a powerful driver of socio-economic growth and development and a key player in the transformation to the Green Economy.

To date, over 20 heads of state and government have received the Open Letter from UNWTO and WTTC: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Brunei, Burkina Faso, China, Colombia, Croatia, Gambia, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Mozambique, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Serbia, the Seychelles, South Africa, Tunisia and Vietnam.   

Useful links:

Open Letter to Heads of State and Government

Further Information on the Joint Campaign

Contacts:

Principal Media Officer: Marcelo Risi

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60

WTTC Media Relations Manager: Anja Eckervogt

Tel: (+44) 20 7481 6484

www.WTTC.org