Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Minister of Culture, Sportsand Tourism Le Quang Tung chaired a conference in Hanoi on February 6 todiscuss measures to mitigate the impacts of the coronavirus-caused acuterespiratory disease on the tourism sector.

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism(VNAT), the outbreak will cause significant losses to Vietnam’s tourism sector,especially due to a sharp drop in tourist arrivals from China – the epicenterof the outbreak, which accounts for over 30 percent of foreign arrivals inVietnam.

The VNAT suggested tapping key markets with high growthpotential such as the Republic of Korea, Japan, Taiwan (China), ASEAN andIndia.

The sector was asked to attract visitors from North America,and expand markets in Western, Northern and Eastern Europe and Russia, as wellAustralia and New Zealand.

More marketing campaigns will be held in China after theepidemic is repelled while domestic tourism will be stimulated withpreferential packages.

The VNAT also proposed restructuring resources and marketsunder the national tourism promotion programme and the national actionprogramme to offset growth in epidemic-hit markets.

Marketing campaigns should be run in the media to convey themessage that Vietnam is an attractive and safe destination for tourists.

Regarding long-term solutions, the VNAT highlighted the needto launch demand stimulation drives, offer lower prices to draw visitors back,allow tax reductions for travel firms, and simplify visa procedures fordelegations of tourists served by travel agencies.

It also pledged to hold training courses in localities tohelp firms deal with the tourism crisis./.