The first-ever National Tourism Industry Summit was held at the National Conventional Centre in Hanoi on October 7, drawing the participation of representatives from State-run agencies on tourism, local Departments of Tourism, experts, and businesses at home and abroad.

Dr. Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre speaking at the opening ceremony

The event is co-organised by the Vietnam National Entrepreneur Association, Vietnam Business Culture Development Association, Vietnam International Arbitration Centre, and relevant agencies.

In his opening speech, Dr. Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre and Honorary President of the Vietnam National Entrepreneur Association, stressed that Vietnam possesses rich tourism resources, adding that the country is rated by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) as one of the 20 countries with the greatest tourism potential.

However, Vietnam's tourism competitiveness is only at an average level, ranking 52nd out of 117 countries in the world, according to the World Economic Forum.

He pointed out that although the tourism sector has gained significant progress and made positive contributions to national development, there are still certain shortcomings that prevent the sector from fully unlocking its available potential.

He believes that it is necessary to promote an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit in the tourism industry, to overcome the current obstacles.

The National Tourism Industry Summit focused on reviewing Vietnam’s tourism resources, setting out the direction of tourism development, and seeking ways to accelerate the application of science and technology, in tourism businesses’ operations.

Delegates at the event also discussed solutions to promote regional tourism connectivity, foster Vietnamese tourism brands, and realise the Party and State's resolution on tourism development.

Several tourism forums were also held within the framework of the summit, covering various topics, such as health and wellness tourism trends, marketing in tourism in the digital age, and the role of social media in developing national tourism brands.