Involving the private sector in the construction of airport infrastructure is the optimum solution to promote the tourism industry in Vietnam, stated Deputy General Director of VietStar Airlines Luong Hoai Nam during the discussion at the 2018 Vietnam Travel and Tourism Summit on December 5.
The event was part of the 2018 Vietnam Economic Forum (ViEF), hosted by the Private Sector Development Committee (PSD), and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), and VnExpress newspaper, with the support from Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
According to Deputy General Director of VietStar Airlines Luong Hoai Nam, airport infrastructure development is one of the major challenges for Vietnam's tourism industry. The improvement of airport infrastructure should be addressed urgently.
Accordingly, since 1975, Phu Quoc airport has been the only one built and put into operation 100% with Vietnamese resources. Other airports are those upgraded from military airfields.
“The capacity of this 21 airport equals to that of Bangkok international airport. These are worrisome figures. By 2017, the whole country airport system handled 95 million passengers and the figure is expected to be 105 million this year. That is why Tan Son Nhat and Noi Bai airports are always overloaded. Traffic around the airport area is also overwhelmed, leaving a bad impression on foreign visitors” the executive of VietStar Airlines said.
Nam proposed solutions for the involvement the private sector in airport infrastructure construction, taking the private-run Vingroup as an example when they made cars at a short notice. He suggested the government put more confidence in the private sector, so that private investors could participate in the construction and exploitation of aviation industry and build new airports.
According to Senior Vice President – Development of the Minor Group, James A. Kaplan, in order to succeed in increasing visitor arrivals, infrastructure, airport capacity and human resources, important airports need to be upgraded.
James A. Kaplan added that Vietnam needs to address the issues through digital data solutions. He pointed out that with millions of tourists, the government needs to look at digital solutions and digital marketing.
Besides that, Senior Adviser at Boston Consulting Group John Lindquist told the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism should separate tourism management and promotion so that there is no conflict of interest, he said
According to the Executive Chairman of Grant Thornton Vietnam Ken Atkinson, the number of upscale hotels in Hanoi by the end of July 2018 was estimated at 67, with 10,590 high-end rooms. In 2017, Hanoi hotels accommodated 4.9 million foreign visitors and 18.8 million domestic holidaymakers, an increase of 9.1% from a year earlier.
However, he warned that rapid development of tourism infrastructure is harming environmental sustainability. In Ha Long Bay, the issue mainly stems from waste disposal from cruise boat and accommodation facilities.
According to a research published by International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2015, 27% of its correspondences identified on-shore hotels and restaurants as the main source of pollutants.
Deputy General Director of VietStar Airlines Luong Hoai Nam.
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According to Deputy General Director of VietStar Airlines Luong Hoai Nam, airport infrastructure development is one of the major challenges for Vietnam's tourism industry. The improvement of airport infrastructure should be addressed urgently.
Accordingly, since 1975, Phu Quoc airport has been the only one built and put into operation 100% with Vietnamese resources. Other airports are those upgraded from military airfields.
“The capacity of this 21 airport equals to that of Bangkok international airport. These are worrisome figures. By 2017, the whole country airport system handled 95 million passengers and the figure is expected to be 105 million this year. That is why Tan Son Nhat and Noi Bai airports are always overloaded. Traffic around the airport area is also overwhelmed, leaving a bad impression on foreign visitors” the executive of VietStar Airlines said.
Nam proposed solutions for the involvement the private sector in airport infrastructure construction, taking the private-run Vingroup as an example when they made cars at a short notice. He suggested the government put more confidence in the private sector, so that private investors could participate in the construction and exploitation of aviation industry and build new airports.
According to Senior Vice President – Development of the Minor Group, James A. Kaplan, in order to succeed in increasing visitor arrivals, infrastructure, airport capacity and human resources, important airports need to be upgraded.
James A. Kaplan added that Vietnam needs to address the issues through digital data solutions. He pointed out that with millions of tourists, the government needs to look at digital solutions and digital marketing.
Besides that, Senior Adviser at Boston Consulting Group John Lindquist told the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism should separate tourism management and promotion so that there is no conflict of interest, he said
According to the Executive Chairman of Grant Thornton Vietnam Ken Atkinson, the number of upscale hotels in Hanoi by the end of July 2018 was estimated at 67, with 10,590 high-end rooms. In 2017, Hanoi hotels accommodated 4.9 million foreign visitors and 18.8 million domestic holidaymakers, an increase of 9.1% from a year earlier.
However, he warned that rapid development of tourism infrastructure is harming environmental sustainability. In Ha Long Bay, the issue mainly stems from waste disposal from cruise boat and accommodation facilities.
According to a research published by International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2015, 27% of its correspondences identified on-shore hotels and restaurants as the main source of pollutants.
