Vietnam International Travel Mart 2020 (VITM 2020), with the theme “Digital transformation boosts Vietnamese tourism development”, officially kicked off in Hanoi on November 18.
Hosted by the Vietnam Tourism Association, the event is one of a range of solutions to help the country’s tourism sector overcome the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The expo features about 250 stalls run by tourism businesses as well as management and promotional agencies from 47 cities and provinces nationwide and from six foreign countries and territories.
It offers a chance for travel agencies and localities to promote their tourism products and services as well as seek business partnerships.
Management and promotion agencies and enterprises will also discuss issues relating to the prospects for Vietnam’s tourism sector in the future.
Addressing the opening, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung said Vietnam has witnessed a significant decline in the number of international tourists this year due to the impact of the health crisis, and the tourism industry is expected to incur losses of 23 billion USD.
He expressed a hope that through digital transformation, local travel firms will soon overcome the difficulties and again develop the industry into a spearhead economic sector.
Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines took the occasion to offer thousands of promotional tickets on domestic flights from Hanoi, with discounts ranging from 10 to 40 percent.
Last year's event welcomed some 85,000 visitors, with 29,300 booking tours while there, helping participating enterprises earn around 322 billion VND (13.8 million USD)./
