Vietnam opts for events remake

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism says it will open its overseas promotions for event companies to organise with the the highest bidder winning.

The decision was reported, last week in the local Saigon Time Daily, claiming tourism officials wanted to improve the quality of their overseas promotions.

“This is the first time that VNAT had invited professional companies to organise tourism promotion programmes abroad,” VNAT travel department head, Vu The Binh, reported. “VNAT wants to make the programme ‘more professional and achieve better results.”

The organisation of  a number of foreign road shows and events are now up for bids. They include a three-day event in Bangkok, a two-day event in Malaysia and an event in Singapore, 28 February to 6 March. Each event should attract 50 travel buyers.

VNAT will also call for bids to redesign a 200 sqm pavilion on 200 sqm at ITB Berlin. It will need to be ready by 10 March, when the show opens in Berlin. A redesign of the 75-sqm booth at Moscow International Travel and Exhibition, 17 to 20 March is also on offer.

The agency spends VND40 billion on its domestic and international promotions.

The lastest data shows the country attracted around 3,772,359 foreign visitors in 2009, down 10.9% compared to 2008. It is now trying to woo visitors from Asean countries, Japan, China, North America and northern and western Europe.