Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, pinning high hopes on the development of the country’s tourism industry, targets to triple its revenue to around US$10-11 billion by the year 2015.

In its tourism development strategy draft, the Government body expects the country’s tourism sector to welcome seven to eight million foreign travelers and around 32 to 32 million local tourists a year in 2015. This compares well with last year’s international arrivals of some 4.2 million and revenue of around US$3.5 in 2008.

In 2020, Vietnam’s hospitality industry should be a strong player in the region with around 11 to 12 million foreign tourists and 45 to 48 million domestic travelers, according to the draft.

The draft was presented to tourism experts, tourism entrepreneurs, officials in a meeting held by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) in Hanoi.

Nguyen Van Tuan, Director General of the VNAT, said that the VNAT would complete the strategy after receiving feedback from participants. The strategy will then be submitted to the Government this month, with clear plans about building new products, developing markets as well as building the national tourism images among others.

The VNAT has once expected Vietnam would receive around six million foreign visitors in 2010. However, this target now looks highly unlikely as the country received merely 3.4 million international travelers in this year to date, down 12.3% year-on-year.

Tuan said that the goal of six million looked unattainable because of slowdown in the tourism industry but he was confident that Vietnam tourism would grow strongly in the next ten years.

He expected Vietnam to welcome around 4.2 to 4.5 million international tourists in 2010 and a huge number of domestic travelers.

Vietnam has 764 international travel firms, and a huge number of domestic travel companies as well as 10,800 accommodation facilities with 208,000 rooms.

The event includes a Vietnam-China economic forum, a trade and investment forum, a business-to-business meeting and a photographic exhibition called “ Vietnam – its land and people”.

The event is attended by Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hoang Anh Tuan and leaders from Vietnamese ministries, departments and provinces as well as Chinese businesses operating successfully in Vietnam.

Representatives from more than 100 Vietnamese businesses also take part in the event to conduct research into the market, and seek partners to expand their business.

A number of cooperation agreements and economic contracts are expected to be signed during the programme.

A Vietnamese week will take place in Cuba and Mexico from May 21 to June 5, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The evens are jointly organised by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam Culture and Arts Exhibition Centre and the National Song, Dance and Light Music Theatre.

Main activities, including traditional art performances, a Vietnamese film week and exhibitions highlighting the land, people and culture of Vietnam will be held in Cuba’s capital city of Havana and Mexico’s capital city of Mexico City and Acapulco City.

Vietnam’s cultural heritage, tourism resources, culinary delights and the national defence and construction as well as the country’s achievements in industrialisation, modernisation and international integration process will be on display.

The etchings were exhibited in Vietnam for the first time in Hanoi in October 2008. The works were brought to the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum by American Dr Hans Guggenheim, who came to the country to exhibit 46 prints from his personal collection by the Spanish artist to celebrate the 5th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Spain.

In 2009, Guggenheim donated 33 of the prints to the Vietnam Fine Art Museum. The etchings showcase Spain’s struggle for liberation against Napoleon’s troops.

Hanging alongside Goya’s pieces are 205 paintings and sketches completed during the French and American war by Vietnamese artists such as Huynh Phuong Dong, Thai Ha, Le Hong Hai and Co Tan Long Chau.

While the etchings show the pain, sorrow and death suffered by Spanish people during their struggle, exhibition goer will also see the encouraged and optimistic spirits of soldiers in paintings by the Vietnamese artists, says Ma Thanh Cao, acting director of the HCMC Fine Arts Museum.

The exhibition opening was celebrated by the HCMC Fine Arts Association and the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum to mark the 35th anniversary of the liberation of the South (April 30) and the 1,000th anniversary of capital Hanoi.

The exhibition can be enjoyed though April 15 at the HCMC Fine Arts Museum, 97A Pho Duc Chinh Street, District 1.