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Vietnam infrastructure a major hurdle
(this article originally appeared as a part of
Crown Jewels of the Greater Mekong Region)
A taxi driver picking up a tourist at Hue airport in central Vietnam slashes his fare from the start, a sign that all is not going as well here as official statistics make out.
Hue, with its Halong bay just to the north, is Vietnam's most popular tourist spot, but most of its tourist industry professionals look downcast. "Both here and in other cities of Vietnam, foreign tourist inflow is becoming sluggish," said Tran Thi Mai, vice director of the Thua Thien-Hue province tourist department. The sentiment is echoed in neighboring Quang-Nam Danang province, home to the traditional village of Hoi An and beautiful beaches of white sand, where there is little hope this year of surpassing the 130,000 tourist arrivals recorded in 1995. "Our conditions are insufficient to satisfy foreign tourists' high expectations," said Huynh Ngoc An, director of the Danang Tourism agency. Underdeveloped infrastructure is a major hurdle, transport is difficult to come by, the sites are neglected, and bare museums fail miserably to reflect the richness of Vietnamese culture.
No wonder each tourist spends on average no more than 1.7 days in the province. French tourists make up half the arrivals but their numbers-. fell this year to 40%, possibly due to a cooling off of the early 1990s infatuation with Vietnam. The country is focusing on attracting tour groups which spend on average $75 a day per head and stay at top-end hotels, in contrast to budget travellers clutching guide books and rucksacks, who sleep in spartan mini-hotels and spend no more than $20 per head. Nguyen Phong, assistant director at Danang Tourism, said: "Tourism cannot grow in isolation--it goes hand-in-hand with overall development. Private capital and foreign capital have to be mobilized."
Statistics
Vietnam welcomed 674,000 foreign visitors during the first six months of this year, compared to just over half a million for the same period last year, according to statistics from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. The figure includes business travellers and overseas residents.
World Heritage status for Hue
Vietnam has announced a strategy for sustainable development of Hue's historical sites which have been given UNESCO World Heritage status. Hue is one of Vietnam's ancient capitals and hundreds of the city's historical sites are regarded as major tourism attractions. Restoration of these sites will be given top government priority, according to the vice president of the Hue's People's Committee, Le Viet Xe.
It will take some 15 years to fully restore the sites and the estimated US$ 100 million cost will be met by the Hanoi government. Hue was the capital during the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945. Still standing is the Grand Palace and its 100 buildings inside have a layout similar to the Forbidden City in Beijing. Currently, Century Hotels operates the only hotel of international standard in Hue, but Saigontourist and several international chains have selected prime sites around the city for hotel development.
All tourism development around Hue will be strictly controlled by the government. It's estimated that 250,000 foreigners are visiting Hue each year--most of them from France. Apart from the palace, other attractions in Hue include the Huong (Perfume) River. The Huong has several festivals each year which reflect the culture and music of the people.
Tourism licenses on the increase
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VTAT) has handed out international tourism licenses to seven state-owned companies and co-operatives, the first such licenses approved since early last year. "We are generally aiming at licensing companies with different strengths," explained NTO tourism department director, Dr. Pham Tu. "In particular, we vant to promote marketing activities, more diversified products and key destinations." Meanwhile, nine companies had their licenses revoked for failure to meet VNAT standards, which include a quota agreement on foreign tourists brought into the country.