Tourism аnd lеisurе mаnаgеmеnt

Whаt should Viеtnаm do to аttrаct
morе tourist to rеturn?

BАCHЕLOR PАPЕR I
Progrеss rеport 1 [ X ] BА Pаpеr 1 [ ]
submittеd аt thе
IMC Fаchhochschulе Krеms
(Univеrsity of Аppliеd Sciеncеs)

Bаchеlor Progrаmmе
“Tourism аnd Lеisurе Mаnаgеmеnt”
by

Phung Thi Thu Phuong


Spеciаlizаtion: Dеstinаtion Mаnаgеmеnt/ Mаrkеting
Supеrvisor: Phаn Khoа Diеm
Submittеd on: 10/6/2020

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Bаckground situаtion
According to Den Hertog (2010), tourism marketing is an important and dynamic
sector in the global economy. In addition, these industries are also the main sources of
income, employment and wealth creation. In developed countries, recent documents
also explain in detail the benefits of destination brand strategy for building national
image. Morgan (2010) stressed that it plays a particularly important role in developing
countries. The growth of tourism does not affect activities directly related to tourism,
but affects investment, government, domestically produced products and the overall
image of the country. In addition, as argued by O 'Neill (1994), the country's efforts to
brand destinations are influenced by tourism content, which ultimately determines who

to publicize and how to publicize a destination. As Morgan (2010) said, in the current
travel materials, image promotion aimed at bringing a positive view of a country has
become the main research area, because it has been regarded as complementary to
domestic policies and an integral part of the economy.
Viеtnаm hаs grеаt potеntiаl to dеvеlop tourism bеcаusе it is fаvorеd by nаturе with
fаvorаblе gеogrаphicаl locаtion, climаtе аnd nаturаl conditions , including ovеr 125
bеаchеs. Viеtnаm is proud to bе in thе top of 12 countriеs for most bеаutiful bаys in thе
world. Viеtnаm Nаm hаs morе thаn 3,000 scеnic аnd historic sitеs listеd аs hеritаgе
countriеs аnd is homе to еight World Hеritаgе Sitеs clаssifiеd by thе UNЕSCO
(Complеx of Huе Monumеnts, Hа Long Bаy, Hoi Аn Аnciеnt Town, My Son Sаnctuаry,
Phong Nhа-Kе Bаng Nаtionаl Pаrk, Cеntrаl Sеctor of thе Impеriаl Citаdеl of Thаng
Long-Hаnoi, Citаdеl of thе Ho Dynаsty, Trаng Аn Lаndscаpе Complеx).
Аctuаlly, Аs rеportеd by Viеtnаm Nаtionаl Аdministrаtion of Tourist, in compаrеd to
2016 thе numbеr of intеrnаtionаl tourist visting thе country hаs incrеаsеd by 28% to 13
millions pеoplе in 2017. Аnd аmong thеsе, thе numbеr of rеpаtеd tourists аccountеd for
40.4% which is nеаrly 10% highеr of thе smае cаtеgory in 2014. Thеsе figurеs do not
dеclinе аnd hаvе thе trеnd of incrеsing ovеr thе yеаr, 2018 is аn rеmаrkаblе еxаmplе.
Thе Pаcific Аsiа Tаvеl Аssociаtion (PАTА), howеvеr, sаy othеrwisе, including thе


intеrnаtionаl аnd domеstic cаtеgoriеs, only 13% of thеm cаmе to thе sаmе tourism
dеstinаtion for thе third timеs, аnd only 24% cаmе twicе, if countеd only intеrnаtinаl
vistors only 6% of thеm would mаkе а sеcond visit. To put this nеxt to our nеighbor Thаilаnd, thеir figurе is аbout 14 timеs highеr thаn ours which is аbout 82% for
rеturning visitors. Or Singаporе is аnthothеr еxcеllеnt еxаmplе with 89% of rеturing
visitors.
Bеing а young industry with countlеss аmount of compеttion, tourism hаs to dеаl
with sеvеrаl chаllеngеs аnd difficultiеs. In ordеr to solvе thеsе problеms it is vitаl to
look for аn idеа to аttrаct morе rеpеаtаtion of tourits' vistits. With this mеthod wе cаn
mаkе full usе of thе wondеrful scеnеry аnd lаndscаpе еxisting in Viеtnаm.
Bеsidеs thе аchiеvеd rеsults, Viеtnаm's tourism industry still fаcеs mаny difficultiеs

аnd chаllеngеs. In thе еаrly stаgеs of dеvеlopmеnt, thе stаrting point of Viеtnаm's
tourism is too low compаrеd to othеr countriеs in thе rеgion. Thе tourism potеntiаl hаs
not bееn fully еxploitеd.
Thе compеtitivеnеss of Viеtnаm's tourism is limitеd duе to thе intеnsе compеtition of
tourism in thе rеgion аnd thе world. Profеssionаlism whеn building tourism products,
promotion hаvе not bееn improvеd. Viеtnаm's tourism products аrе still slow to
innovаtе, poor, monotonous, lеss crеаtivе аnd still ovеrlаpping rеgions.
Аdvеrtising promotion is аlso limitеd, unprofеssionаl аnd inеffеctivе. Spеcificаlly,
Viеtnаm’s tourism industry just stops to promotе thе gеnеrаl imаgе, not crеаting а
rеsonаncе аnd а spеcific аttrаction for еаch tourism product аnd brаnd. Stаtе invеstmеnt
is limitеd which hаs not crеаtеd а stimulus еffеct.
1.2 Research Objective
The objective of this research is to find out the factors that influence foreign tourists'
intention to travel in Vietnam, thereby proposing some solutions to help Vietnam attract
more. Foreign tourists visiting Vietnam in the coming time.
1.3 Research question
In order to complete the objectives of the proposed research, the research content
needs to investigate, analyze and answer 02 specific research questions as follows:
(1) What are factors affecting foreign visitors' intention to travel to Vietnam?
(2) Whаt should Viеtnаm do to аttrаct morе tourist to rеturn Viеtnаm?
1.4 Rеsеаrch Design
The main research method used in this study is the quantitative research method.
Based on previous studies by researchers around the world on factors influencing tourist


intention to choose tourist destinations, the study will focus on building a proposed
research model that includes factors affecting foreign tourists' intention to travel in
Vietnam
After forming a proposed research model for the study, the author builds the
questions as a scale for the influencing factors in the model and runs a test to evaluate

the construction questionnaire. appropriate and easy to understand or not. After
completing the test run, the author conducted a survey of foreign tourists who are
currently traveling in Vietnam, and through the online survey tool, google form sends
the survey form. to some foreign tourists who have never visited Vietnam.
1.5 Research structure
In addition to the acknowledgments, indexes, references and appendices, this
research is divided into 05 main chapters as follows:
Chapter I: Introduction
In this chapter, research focuses on presenting research background, research
objectives and questions. In addition, the content of this chapter also mentions the
research design and structure.
Chapter II: Literature review
This chapter provides an overview of theoretical bases such as behavioral theory and
a synthesis of previous studies related to the factors that influence a tourist's intention to
choose a tourist destination. In this chapter, the author also gives a proposed research
model for this research.
Chapter III: Research Methodology
The content of this chapter presents the research method selected to conduct the
research on this topic, build the questionnaire, survey sample size and the process of
primary data collection.
Chapter IV: Finding
In this chapter, the author focuses on analyzing the results collected from the
questionnaire.
Chapter V: Discussion аnd Conclusion
In this chapter, the author discusses the research results, answers the research
questions posed in chapter 1 and concludes.


CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Factors affecting tourist behavior

Collier (1989) explained that when an individual decides to visit his destination,
there must be a purpose for him to do so. According to the Supplement to World Trade
Statistics Methodology (1978), the World Tourism Organization (WTO) has nine main
types of visiting purposes. The nine main purposes are vacation/leisure, business,
health, study, tasks, meetings/meetings/meetings, visits to friends and family, religion
and sports.
Destinations are two types of tourists, vacationers and business travelers. For
business travelers, they often come to attend seminars, conferences, conferences and
activities. According to the degree to which they produce favorable images, they
choose their destinations (Hakinson, 2004).
Christopher (1993) showed that many people regard leisure and vacation as
time to get rid of normal living habits. To do, to see, to experience some different
things. Travel has two determinants, namely, pull and push (Dann, 1977). According to
tourism documents and in terms of tourism destination selection and decision-making
process, tourism motivation involves the concept of push-pull factors (Lam&Hsu,
2005). Lam & Hsu (2005) analyzed that pulling factors are factors that affect your
travel location, including invisible signs of specific destinations that attract people to
realize specific travel experience needs, and driving factors are factors that make you
want to travel, including cognitive processes and psychosocial motives that make
people want to travel. The conclusion is that apart from simple promotion, many
people just want to change. They don't want to stay in one place all the year round,
they want to go to other places to see a doctor.
Attracting tourists is a necessary factor for the successful development of
tourist destinations. Gunn (1972) regards them as "the first force and a milestone in the
real fun and motivation of regional tourism". Attractions are designed to attract; They
are the main motivation to visit destinations or resorts. Tourists have changed their
choice behavior from holiday resorts to psychological destinations. They like to visit a
place where they can learn more. They are willing to pay more for their destination.
The fact is that tourists will not return to the same destination after arriving once.

Therefore, historical works, heritage and castles need to be reevaluated to attract


tourists back. Good environment and atmosphere and good service are necessary to
maintain a sustainable destination. As Gupta (1984) asserted, Ddu has become a way
for people to express curiosity and satisfy curiosity.
2.2 Image of destination
Clumpton's research (1979) defines' image 'as a person's beliefs, ideals,
emotions, expectations and impressions of a place. The 'pictures' of the place are taken
from personal experiences or secondary sources of information including personal
conversations or mass media. Gunn (1989) believes that if the destination progresses
on two levels, an "organic image" and a "touch image". Organic images are
transmitted through and in the discourse of educational media, electronic media or
mass media and publishing organizations. Image Creation 'is an institutional image,
but derives from events, symbols and advertisements generated by national tourism
organizations. Therefore, slogans, events, symbols and advertisements are specially
produced by state tourism organizations to distinguish countries in the international
tourism market. From Hankinson (2004), image distribution can be classified into two
subsets: functional/tangible attributes and symbolic/intangible attributes.
For destination marketers, perhaps the most important aspect of image is its
influence in tourism behavior. According to Leisen (2001), the basic consumer
behavior theory suggests that consumers make product selection decisions according
to their different brand formation. Residents can influence tourists' perception because
they are the source of tourists' information. The image of the destination varies from
person to person. Different people will have different images of the same product. The
image they acquire is based on their own background, such as their country of origin,
educational background and tourism experience. (Reynolds, 1965). The image of the
destination can be shaped by residents, who can actively or negatively shape tourists'
image of their hometown area by playing their own roles. Comparatively speaking,
destinations with a long political/social history or cultural heritage are likely to have

formed a strong positive image (Hankinson, 2004). In addition, potential tourists learn
about the world from the media and literature. Most importantly, they learn from TV
and companies, which provide powerful site pictures. Historic cities have attracted
many people, from Florence and Venice in Italy to small cities such as Bath, Chester


and York in Britain. According to Law (1993), some places are well preserved and
become representatives of urban history or landscape.
As Beerli & Martin (2004) analyzed, the destination image can be divided into
nine (9) dimensions, which are natural resources, tourists' leisure and entertainment,
natural environment, general infrastructure, culture, history and art, social
environment, tourists' infrastructure, politics, economy and atmosphere factors.
Penang has proved to be a successful destination because it provides all nine
dimensions. Contributing factors to the attraction of tourist destinations are scenic
spots (scenery/natural resources, climate, culture, food, history, race, and personality).
Facilities and services (accommodation, airports, public transport/railway stations,
sports, recreation, shopping centres and catering facilities), infrastructure (water
supply systems, communication networks, health care, power supply, sewage areas,
streets/highways and safety systems), hospitality (friendly, useful and responsive
capacity) and costs (value for money, accommodation, food and beverage prices,
transportation prices and shopping prices). (Kozak & Rimmington, 1998)
2.3 Factors Affecting Destination Selection Decision
When travelers receive better education and better understand a tourist
destination, it will open up new choices and provide new opportunities for unique
experiences. With so many tourist destinations publicized to the world and so many
competitive destinations, tourists can make their own choices according to the
limitations of money and time (Mohsin, 2004). Many factors will affect the decisionmaking. E.g. Prideaux (1999); Gunn (1972); Dan (1977); Martin & Witt (1988)
pointed out that the factors that affect the attraction of tourists are the quality,
management and environmental quality of the destination, traffic management such as
local traffic, and safety. Safety and culture of the destination; The image of the

destination, the purpose of tourists related to the destination products, the public
services provided and the travel expenses.
What makes a city an interesting place to visit? "According to the International
Dragon Forest Survey, tourists are advised to want something unique and interesting,
something popular and entertaining, including cultural attractions and tourist
attractions. Tourists rely on these factors to determine the destination they want to go
to. According to Law (1993), secondary factors including hotels, shopping facilities,


restaurants, pubs, taverns and other forms of entertainment can be considered by
tourists. Environmental quality will become the main factor for tourists to decide their
destination. Environmental quality refers to the quality of the natural characteristics of
the destination that may be deteriorated by human activities. Natural features such as
beautiful scenery, natural hydrological structure, clean water and fresh air may be
polluted and lose attraction. Pizam (1991) asserts that the quality of natural attractions
is part of the quality destination. If the environment is in a low-quality destination,
tourists will stay away from it. The quality of the destination has a strong influence on
the choice of vacation destination. Therefore, it is necessary to manage the
environmental quality of the destination until a high-quality environment can be
provided. Tourism research shows that transportation and destination are interrelated.
Traffic will affect tourists visiting the destination. According to Prideaux (1999),
transportation refers to the activities and interactions between transportation modes,
modes and ports that support tourist resorts in terms of passenger and cargo flows to
and from destinations and the provision of transportation services. Provide
transportation connections in tourism development zones.
There are some tasks in the transportation system that we should not neglect.
This includes providing transportation services from tourists' homes to stations;
Provide safe, comfortable, competitive price and fast service; Providing transportation
services at the destination; Providing freight services to tourist destinations (Prideaux,
1999). Therefore, travel expenses become a factor when tourists make decisions about

the destination they want to go to (Martin & Witt, 1988). The destination provides
high-end transportation services and will attract many tourists. Transportation is an
important factor in accessibility. Identifying and investing in appropriate transport
infrastructure will be a destination for development. For a destination, there are ten
(10) attractive factors, namely, natural characteristics, climate, cultural and social
characteristics,

general

infrastructure,

basic

service

infrastructure,

tourism

superstructure, transportation and transportation, attitudes towards travel costs/prices,
economic and social relations and uniqueness, such as unique religious or geographical
centers (Mihalic, 1999). Calgary tourism competitiveness model assumes that price is
a factor of competitiveness, and there is a close relationship between quality and
different levels of price. Travelers are not willing to exchange lower costs for lower


environmental quality and are willing to pay more for a better environment. Finally,
international tourism circulation is often considered to be caused by the push-pull
factors in demand (generation) and supply (attraction). The driving factors are formed
by tourists' personal disposable income, tourism demand, tourism motivation, formal

or informal commitment to regulate tourism behavior, marketing-oriented tourism
information disclosure, etc. Theoretically, the demand generated by these ‘push’
factors can be met by a series of tourist destinations with specific budgets (Blank,
1989).
2.4 Research model and research hypothesis

Figure 1. Research model
According to Leisen (2001), the basic consumer behavior theory suggests that
consumers make product selection decisions according to their different brand
formation. Residents can influence tourists' perception because they are the source of
tourists' information. Hereby, author proposed the first hypothesis for the research is:
H1: Image of destination has a positive impact on the decisions of tourists to travel to
Vietnam
Prideaux (1999); Gunn (1972); Dan (1977); Martin & Witt (1988) pointed out
that the factors that affect the attraction of tourists are the quality, management and
environmental quality of the destination, traffic management such as local traffic, and
safety. Safety and culture of the destination; The image of the destination, the purpose


of tourists related to the destination products, the public services provided and the
travel expenses. Author proposed the 2nd and 3rd hypotheses of research as follows:
H2: Travel cost has a positive impact on tourists' decisions to travel to Vietnam
H3: Safety of destination has a positive impact on the decisions of tourists to Vietnam
to travel
Pizam (1991) asserts that the quality of natural attractions is part of the quality
destination. If the environment is in a low-quality destination, tourists will stay away
from it. The quality of the destination has a strong influence on the choice of vacation
destination. Therefore, it is necessary to manage the environmental quality of the
destination until a high-quality environment can be provided. Therefore, author
proposed the 4th hypothesis of research as follows:

H4: Quality of destination has a positive impact on a tourist's decision to travel to
Vietnam
According Prideaux (1999) the destination provides high-end transportation services
and will attract many tourists. Transportation is an important factor in accessibility.
Identifying and investing in appropriate transport infrastructure will be a destination
for development. On that basis, the 5th hypothesis of research is formed
H5: Transport Service positively impacts tourists' decision to travel to Vietnam


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Dann, G.M. (1981), “Tourist
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