Foreign tourists in Hoi An ancient town.

At a meeting on measures to attract tourists last week, Vu The Binh, chief of the Vietnam National Administration’s Tourism and Travel Department, remarked that in 2010 the tourism industry would not benefit much from government incentives like last year. Meanwhile, the sector aims to welcome 4.2 million foreign visitors, 400,000 over last year. The industry must implement effective measures to attract tourists, particularly from foreign countries.

Binh said that VNAT wants tourists who visited Vietnam to come back with their friends. Surveys show that up to 80 percent of Vietnam’s international tourists come through friends’ recommendations. He said that the Vietnamese need to impress them with their warm smiles.

The tourism sector will launch its “Friendly Vietnam Welcomes You” program. All staff at airports, customs and immigration offices, hotels, restaurants and tourist sites as well as all Vietnamese people are called upon to display their friendliness.

“It is difficult to campaign for all Vietnamese people to smile at tourists because many people are unfamiliar with smiling at strangers,” Binh observed. “However, the tourism sector and the media will try to encourage people so that visitors feel happy from the moment they reach the border gates.”

VNAT will also launch a campaign calling for overseas Vietnamese to travel home. Binh noted that the Overseas Vietnamese Association in France will propose that its members return to Vietnam for travel this year.

VNAT will choose some prestigious travel companies, restaurants and transportation firms to supply special tours to visitors, including tours on culture and history, traditional art, natural heritages, village life, and beaches.

For the first time, VNAT will join hands with the Association of Retailers to organize a discount campaign in big cities this year.

Nguyen Hoang Hai from Vietnam Airlines’ Marketing Department revealed that the firm would slash airfares between 30-60 percent for some routes during 2010.