The Vietnam online tourism in 2018 grossed US$3.5 billion, up 15% from 2017, and is expected to reach US$9 billion by 2025.
The information was announced by Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) Vu The Binh on June 26 at the Vietnam Online Tourism Day in Hanoi, citing the Google-Temasek report on the internet economy in Southeast Asia.
 

The Vietnam Online Tourism Day in Hanoi. Photo: Dangcongsan.vn

The event with the theme “The inevitable trend of online tourism” was organized by VITA in coordination with the Vietnam E-Commerce Association (VECOM) with the participation of more than 600 domestic and foreign participants.
According to a report from the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Vietnam e-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency, in 2018, the country’s e-commerce grew 30%, grossing a total retail revenue of US$8 billion. In particular, online retail and online tourism accounted for the highest proportion on Vietnam e-commerce market.
Vietnam was placed fifth among six Southeast Asian nations mentioned in the report for its untapped market potential.
Vu The Binh said that the tourism sector is a service economy, therefore it will be suitable for the application of Industry 4.0 technology.
“In recent years, online tourism has gradually replaced some stages in tourism and expects to become the inevitable trend of the  industry,” said Binh.
Online tourism development will also support GDP growth and employment. It also provides an opportunity for everyone to participate, while service providers can sell more products and customers can enjoy better services, Binh added.
The Vietnam Online Tourism 2019 also featured various discussion sessions, including the boom of online tourism, online tourist behavior, services to support online tourism, and the application of modern technology and human resources to serve online tourism.
On this occasion, VECOM and VITA signed a cooperation agreement on training human resources for online tourism. VITA also signed a cooperation agreement with TikTok on tourism promotion through the short form video platform.
The event aims to remind agencies, organizations, and businesses of the importance of online tourism and provides an opportunity for those related to tourism, such as airlines, hotels, restaurants, resorts, tourism businesses to establish connection.

hanoitimes.vn