An awards ceremony was held at the Hanoi Opera House on July 8 to honour Vietnam’s top travel agencies in 2017 on the occasion of the 57th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam Tourism Industry (July 9, 1960-2017).
Co-organised by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) and the Vietnam Tourism Association, the Vietnam Tourism Awards are the only and most prestigious awards of the tourism sector, held since 1999.
The awards aim to honour organisations, businesses and individuals who have made positive contributions to the cause of Vietnam's tourism development, while stepping up the emulation movement to constantly improve service quality, diversify tourism products and build the national tourism brand.
The awards also aim to enhance the ability of international integration and promoting the image of Vietnam’s tourism industry on the international arena, as well as creating favourable conditions for tourists to choose the best quality and branded tourist service.
In 2017, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has presented the Vietnam Tourism Award to 91 organisations, enterprises and individuals who have made active contributions to the development of Vietnam's tourism sector. Among those awarded are units who have affirmed their prestige, quality of service and business performance in 2016.
This year’s winners include ten international travel enterprises, ten domestic travel agencies, 30 three to five star hotels, five transportation companies, ten restaurants, two travel stops, seven tourist sites, five tourism complexes, ten golf courses, one airline with the largest number of tourists and one airline with the fastest growth in tourism.
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Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam praises the contributions of travel agencies to Vietnam’s tourism development at the awards ceremony of the Vietnam Tourism Awards 2017 in Hanoi on July 8. (Credit: qdnd.vn)
Congratulating winners of the awards at the event, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said that over the last 57 years, Vietnam’s tourism sector has made great contributions to national socio-economic development and to promoting the image of the country, people and culture of Vietnam to the world.
Over the past time, relevant ministries, sectors and authorities at all levels have made efforts and fulfilled responsibilities in working and solving difficulties for the sector. The Vietnamese people, with their great sense of hospitality and social responsibility, have made practical efforts to create an ever-improving Vietnamese environment, especially in recent years. The government appreciated the efforts and initiatives of individuals and businesses working in the field of tourism which have joined hands to develop the sector, Deputy PM Dam stressed.
He said that the development of tourism not only supports the country's overall economic growth but also importantly contributes to improve the quality of living standards for local people, especially those in rural, mountainous and remote areas. Thanks to tourism services, poverty reduction has been facilitated; through tourism, the image of Vietnam, with its cultural characteristics, has made a deep impression on foreign visitors to Vietnam, he added.
The government official proposed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the State management agencies strengthen efforts to remove difficulties and support tourism development. While improving the tourism environment, it is also necessary to create favourable conditions for enterprises to invest in exploiting and developing tourism with the motto of sustainable development, affirmed Deputy PM Dam.
In 2016, the tourism sector reached an impressive milestone welcoming 10 million international visitors, a 25% increase compared to 2015; serving 62 million inbound visitors; and reaching total revenue from tourism of VND400 trillion.
Over the past six months, the industry has continued to record impressive achievements, serving more than 6.2 million international visitors and over 40 million domestic tourists.
