2008 was a bad year for Vietnam’s tourism industry, as the number of international visitors totalled 4.2 million, 87 percent of projections. In an effort to boost tourism in 2009, tour companies have developed a strategy.

Intermational tourists  welcomed at Tan Son Nhat Airport  on New Year's day

A wide range of products, including special tours throughout the country will be offered at discounts of between 30 – 50 percent during a two month promotion program which starts early January.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Cuong, deputy head of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said that the discount rate offered for certain products will be based on the average price for the same kind of products in the region.

Promotional campaigns will be made possible through the cooperation of Vietnam Airlines and many luxury hotels, who have pledged to cut the price of air tickets and rooms for tours to be launched under the program, said Mr. Cuong.

He added that if the program works well and produces profits, it will be extended until the end of June or maybe until the end of the year.

Mr. Tran Chien Thang, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that together with the promotion program, it will launch an advertising campaign through which the beauty and peace of the country, the quality of tours and discount rates will be widely broadcast.

He suggested issuing a “tourist guide map” through which famous attractions to visit in the country will be introduced to visitors. Users can find instructions about the most ideal routes to get to sites and make choices from a wide range of services offered at reasonable prices.

Mr Thang also proposed the government make a 10 percent cut in VAT on tourism products and services. It would help stimulate and compel more travel companies, hotels, restaurants, coach companies and shopping centers to take part in the program.

As a measure to support tourism activities, the Department of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is outlining a scheme to popularize Vietnamese culture and tourism on the Korean channel KBS TV, on Vietnamese channel VTV4 TV and on the internet.

The department will also invite reporters and travelers from Europe, Japan, Korea, Australia and ASEAN countries to visit the country to introduce famous landscapes, including Ha Long Bay, Sa Pa, Phansipan Mount, Phong Nha- Ke Bang National Park and Hoi An ancient town.

Tan Son Nhat Airport of HCM City welcomed hundreds of international travelers on the first day of the new year. Among them, over 100 tourists took the Vietnam Airlines flight VN 927, which came from Kaohsiung, Taiwan Territory to HCM City and more than 200 tourists disembarked from Singapore Airlines. Malaysian Airlines was the first caller on New Year’s Day. The City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and HCM City Tourism Association organized a ceremony at the airport to welcome the first international visitors to the city. Many children were happy to be given lucky money on New Year’s Day. On the same day, Saigontourist welcomed the first 800 international passengers who came to Vietnam on the five-star Costa Allegra Cruise. The tourists joined a one-day tour in the city to visit some attractions, including the Notre Dame Cathedral, China Town and Ben Thanh Market before departing for Tien Sa Port in the central city of Danang.