Vietnam is working hard to build itsimage as a safe and friendly tourism destination, given the number offoreign tourists to the country in the first half of 2015 experienced ayear-on-year decline of 10 percent, as heard during an online workshopin Hanoi on July 15.

The Vietnamese Government haspromulgated a number of policies to develop tourism such as exemptingvisas for citizens from the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy andBelarus.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourismhas proposed the Government put forth measures to develop tourism,especially regarding transport infrastructure, the quality of tourismservices and human resources, said General Director of the VietnamNational Administration of Tourism Nguyen Van Tuan.

Last year, the Prime Minister issued Directive 18/Ct-TTg on enhancingtourism management and ensuring security and safety for tourists. Afterone year of implementation, the directive has shown initial success withthe establishment of seven centres to support tourists.

Tuan highlighted the role of ministries, sectors and local authoritiesin successfully implementing tourism development policies, citingcentral Da Nang city as an outstanding example.

State management agencies, local authorities, businesses and residentsshould pay additional attention to environmental sanitation and foodsafety and raise public awareness of the issues, experts suggested.-VNA