HÀ NỘI — More than 150 collectives and 120 individuals, who made good contributions to the tourism sector in the last year were honoured at a ceremony during the ongoing Vietnam International Travel Mart on Wednesday.

The award ceremony is an annual activity hosted by the Vietnam Tourism Association aiming at praising distinguished tourism workers in offering accommodation and travel services.

Individual and enterprises receive awards at the event. — Photo courtesy of organisers

Addressing the ceremony, Cao Thị Ngọc Lan, General Secretary and Deputy Chairperson of Việt Nam Tourism Association, said individuals and enterprises praised here are good examples for the whole tourism sector.

“The association will further promote the movement so that people work harder and more individuals and enterprises will get the honour,” she said.

Deputy culture minister Nguyễn Văn Hùng highly appreciated the efforts made by the domestic tourism sector to overcome current difficulties.

“A short time after authorities applied domestic tourism promotion policies, statistics surged,” he said. “’Necessity is the mother of invention. In a challenging situation, distinguished people appear.”

He praised the association for selecting 162 enterprises including travel agencies and hotels which have contributed to the sector’s success and 122 individuals, who are managers, directors, chefs and journalists who have worked to promote Việt Nam.

According to statistics from the National Tourism Authority of Việt Nam, in 2019, the country received 18 million international tourists, the highest figure ever, which was a 16.2 per cent increase against 2018.

Domestic travellers numbered 85 million, a 6 per cent increase over 2018, while the income from tourism was some VNĐ720,000 billion (US$31 billion), a 16 per cent increase. VNS