The global shortage of aircraft, along with significant fluctuations in exchange rates and fuel costs, has reduced the supply capacity of airlines and necessitated an increase in airfares, adversely affecting the development of Vietnam’s tourism industry.
In the short term, achieving the tourism sector’s 2024 targets (17-18 million international tourists, 110 million domestic tourists; total revenue from tourism reaching approximately 840 trillion VND) becomes highly challenging in the context of Vietnam continuing to face unfavorable factors within the broader difficulties of global tourism. Meanwhile, air travel accounts for a very high proportion of tourists coming to Vietnam, up to nearly 80%.
In this context, on the afternoon of June 12 in Hanoi, the Nhan Dan Newspaper held a seminar titled “Aviation – Tourism Cooperation for Sustainable Development,” aimed at analyzing the current development status of the aviation and tourism sectors, discussing to establish practical, effective cooperation initiatives, and recommending new solutions to the government. This would help the aviation and tourism industries overcome difficulties, develop sustainably, and become important drivers of the country’s economic growth.
The seminar saw the participation of leaders from the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, economic experts, scientists, representatives from foreign tourism promotion agencies, business associations, and leaders of aviation, tourism, and travel companies.
The seminar included two main sessions: the Presentation Session: The Paradox of Rising Airfares and the Ongoing Difficulties for Airlines and Tourism Companies. The Discussion Session: Practical, Effective Cooperation Initiatives between Local Authorities, Airlines, and Tourism Businesses; Harmonious Development of Various Transportation Modes in Tourism Activities, and Recommendations to the Government for Support Solutions.
In reality, there is always fierce competition among businesses in the aviation and tourism sectors, with many aviation-tourism development links being broken due to conflicts of interest within one party or the emergence of a third party. Economic experts assert that before finding solutions to strengthen the linkages and cooperation between these two sectors, it is essential to establish control mechanisms within the industry itself. This requires the role of specialized state management agencies such as the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, along with related social-professional organizations.
International tourists at Noi Bai airport. Photo: Phan Cong
Airlines and Local Authorities Strengthen Cooperation
To move towards practical actions rather than just discussions, within the framework of the seminar, airlines and local authorities have developed solutions to strengthen linkages, attract tourists, and stimulate domestic tourism demand. Notably, Vietnam Airlines will offer nearly 1 million night flight seats, departing between 9 PM and 6 AM daily on various domestic routes, with very attractive promotional prices.
Vietnam Airlines has built a cooperation mechanism with local tourism industries to create products targeting domestic tourists during this summer’s peak. Accordingly, the airline has proposed to provinces and cities to call upon and introduce local travel-tourism companies, accommodation establishments, recreational facilities, tourist attractions, etc., to participate in the night flight promotion campaign. At the same time, they will announce the list of service providers through media channels to allow customers to recognize and proactively book services.
Da Nang City and Khanh Hoa Province are the first two localities to accompany Vietnam Airlines in this campaign. According to the agreement, from now until the end of the year, Vietnam Airlines and these localities will cooperate to launch a tourism stimulus program, with the airline deploying additional early morning and late-night flight products with fare reductions of up to 30% compared to normal flight times.
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Source: Vietnam Insider