Tourism 101

Patrick Moran is a friend who resides in Ho Chi Minh City.  He is a fascinating gentleman: a well travelled successful entrepreneur who has chosen Vietnam as his place of retirement.  During my tenure as Team Leader of the ADB funded Mekong Tourism Development Project (MTDP) I often asked for his input on our projects in Tien Giang and An [...]

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By Peter Semone
Last week the World Economic Forum released its Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report (TTCR) entitled Balancing Economic Development and Environmental Sustainability.  This is the second year running that this study has been conducted with the intent of exploring the factors driving travel and tourism industry competitiveness in 130 economies. The full report can be downloaded here.

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By Peter Semone 
Vietnam’s tourism promotion slogan is Hidden Charm.  Most Vietnamese tourism practitioners (both public and private sector) don’t really know what VNAT’s Hidden Charm campaign is all about.  Someone in Vietnam tourism needs to pick up a text on tourism marketing and flip to the chapter on branding.  Surely the text will explain the importance of a branding campaign transcending the entire tourism experience – literally [...]

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By Peter Semone 
In early April, I will participate in a three city – Hanoi, Danang and Saigon – tourism lecture series being organised by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).   The seminar will focus on European Source Markets, with tourism experts from France and the countries of Benelux and Scandinavia presenting.  In preparation for the event, I’ve prepared a [...]

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