Resolution on solutions to promote tourism development

1. Raising awareness of the society about the development of tourism 

a) Agencies and departments at all levels and sectors need to raise awareness of the position and role of tourism as a general economic sector, bearing deep cultural content, with intersectoral, inter-regional and high socialization features, bringing positive effects to socio-economic development, contributing to economic restructuring, job creation and poverty reduction; to create favorable conditions and ensure favorable environment for tourism development. 

b) The Ministry of Information and Communications shall preside and coordinate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Viet Nam Television, Voice of Viet Nam, Viet Nam News Agency and other mass media agencies to promote communication activities to create breakthroughs in raising social awareness about tourism development and effectiveness of promotional activities, and promote local and international tourism.

c) The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall preside over the development of criteria and organization of evaluations, ratings and publication of development indices of tourist destinations. 

d) The localities, especially those with key tourist attractions shall strengthen the communication and mobilization of people to voluntarily and actively participate in maintaining social order, security and environmental hygiene; promote civilized, polite and law-abiding lifestyle; develop the movement of civilized behavior, with openness and sincerity towards tourists.

2. Strengthening the State support for tourism development 

Prioritize investment to make tourism actually become a spearhead economic sector through programs, projects and incentives. 

a) The Government has agreed on funding for the implementation of the National Action Program on Tourism and Tourism Promotion Program in 2015 as follows: Pursuant to the assigned budget estimates, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall actively and effectively approve, allocate and organize the implementation of activities funded by the State budget expenditures in accordance with regulations and laws, be responsible before the Prime Minister and the law; the Ministry of Finance shall provide funding to organize the two national tourism programs mentioned above.

b) The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall:

- Preside to develop the Tourism Development Program in the period 2016 - 2020, submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision in the first quarter of 2015 and effectively implement annual plan of the program; coordinate with related ministries and agencies to study and propose specific and breakthrough policies to attract tourists from a number of potential markets; improve the conservation and utilization mechanisms of heritages. 

- Preside and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to develop the project establishing the "Development Fund for Tourism" from sources of socialization and submit to the Prime Minister in 2015 .

c) The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall: 

- Preside and coordinate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and other related ministries, agencies and localities to develop incentives to attract investment, rapidly form a number of key national tourist areas, which are internationally competitive, to create leverage for Viet Nam's tourism development. 

- Preside and coordinate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and other related localities to enhance the support from the State budget to invest in building tourism infrastructure, facilitating visitors’ access to national tourist areas and sites by concentrating on the national tourist areas and attractions which have been identified in the Master Plan on Viet Nam Tourism Development by 2020, with a vision to 2030. 

d) The People's Committees at all levels shall have the responsibility to ensure a favorable environment, proactively allocate budgets and land, and deploy solutions for tourism development; propose the application of special mechanisms of land, investment funds and selection of strategic investors to develop tourism in line with the conditions and characteristics of the locality.

3. Creating favorable conditions, ensuring security and safety to attract tourists and develop tourism 

a) The Ministry of Public Security shall coordinate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies to review, study and propose to expand the list of visa-waiver countries while ensuring national security, social order and safety, and improving the visa procedures towards creating the most favorable conditions for international tourists to Viet Nam. 

b) The Ministry of Transport in collaboration with related ministries, agencies and localities shall accelerate the open skies roadmap for international bilateral and multilateral cooperation in civil aviation, the expansion of exchanging the 5th freedom of the air on the basis of ensuring national interests and promoting tourism development; focus on implementation to complete early projects investing in tourism ports, railway stations and stops at transitting hubs to enhance connectivity and shorten travel time for tourists; direct to upgrade service quality for tourists on tourist routes of road, rail, air and inland waterways.

c) The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall preside and coordinate with related ministries, agencies and localities to expand international tourism market, reduce dependence on a number of major markets; diversify and improve the quality and competitiveness of travel products and services; further attract international tourists to Viet Nam to stay longer and spend more; adopt appropriate policies to encourage domestic tourism market development, launch and implement "the Vietnamese prioritize tourism in Viet Nam" campaign. 

4. Supporting and removing difficulties for tourism enterprises

a) The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall coordinate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Finance to review laws and regulations such as the Law on Investment, the Government's Decree guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Investment, etc. and make request to competent authorities for adjustment towards increasing incentives for investment and business in sectors including hospitality, tourism, ecotourism, community tourism.

b) The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall coordinate with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and related ministries, agencies and localities to review regulations on the allocation and tax of land for amendment to reduce land use tax and land rent for investment projects on accommodation facilities and tourist sites which use more space area for landscaping. 

c) The Ministry of Finance shall coordinate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and related ministries and agencies to review the regulations on the import of equipment, specialized vehicles needed for luxury tourism development, which can not be produced with domestic capacity such as: Hydrofoil, yacht, seaplane, small airplane, hot air balloon meeting international standards, etc. to report to the Government before June 30th, 2015. 

d) The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall preside and coordinate with related ministries and agencies to study and submit to the Government regulations on electricity prices to create more favorable conditions for tourism business in the second quarter of 2015.

5. Enhancing the State management on tourism 

a) Enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the State management on tourism from the central to local levels; accelerating the amendment and supplement to the Law on Tourism; consolidating and improving the State management on local tourism. 

b) The Ministry of Public Security shall coordinate with related ministries, agencies and localities to develop and implement effective measures to improve the State management of security and order in tourism; research organization solutions to ensure security and safety for tourists. 

c) The Ministry of Transport shall: 

- Enhance the direction, reorganization and upgrading of service quality of the airline industry to create the best conditions for tourism development, towards: All personnel providing services at airports and on flight shall serve passengers with a spirited and wholehearted attitude for the development of tourism industry. 

- Preside and coordinate with related ministries, agencies and localities in directing terminals, train stations, ports, and vehicles involved in the transport of passengers to allocate sufficient manpower ensuring environmental hygiene, security and safety; have friendly service attitude; provide information guide and assist tourists to ensure convenience, consider this as the operational goal of the whole transportation sector.

d) Ministries, agencies and localities shall:

- Based on the assigned functions and tasks, enhance the coordination to manage tourism activities at destinations, ensure hygiene, environment, quality of service on the basis of assessment and recognition of services meeting tourism service standards; accelerate the establishment of Tourist Support Centers at key tourism sites to effectively implement and coordinate the activities ensuring security and safety for tourists, adopt the principle of developing Viet Nam as a destination of Safety - Friendly - Quality. 

- Strengthen the inspection, examiniation and acceleration of the implementation of legal provisions governing the immigration, residence and movement of foreign tourists to ensure health security, prevention of diseases at border gates, monuments and tourist attractions; prevent and impede objects taking advantage of tourism activities to perform criminal activities or infringement of national sovereignty. 

dd) The provincial-level People's Committees shall direct and organize effectively the implementation of measures to protect the environment and ensure food safety; fortify the reinforcement of security and order, and ensure safety for tourists at resorts and tourist sites.

6. Organizing the implementation

a) The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall developan action plan to implement the Resolution; preside to accelerate, inspect and supervise the implementation; synthesize and conduct preliminary assessment on the implementation of the Resolution and report to the Prime Minister in December every year. 

b) Ministries, ministry-level agencies, Government agencies, provincial-level People's Committees shall: 

- Develop action plans under assigned management scopes to deploy and supervise the implementation of the Resolution in order to create immediate shift in tourism development. 

- Send the action plans to the State Steering Committee on Tourism for coordinated oversight. 

- Conduct a preliminary evaluation of the implementation of the Resolution and propose solutions to the direction and administration of the Government in the next period, to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for synthesis and reporting to the Prime Minister. 

c) Every 06 months, the State Steering Committee on Tourism shall assign members of the Steering Committee to examine the implementation of the Resolution, mechanisms and policies regulating incentivesfor tourism development; report on implementation results and propose to reward collectives and individuals for their excellent performance./.