McElwee quoted on factors in Vietnam's sagging tourism market
Never before have Vietnam’s top leadership stooped down like this to worry about the sagging tourism industry.
After signing off on visa waivers for five more European countries — France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and the UK — last month, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has continued to press ahead with the visa exemption.
In a directive dated July 2, Dung asked that ministries of finance, national defense, and public security consider axing tourist visa requirements for even more nationalities and continue streamlining visa procedures that have been decried as ineffective.
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“Vietnam seems to have this deep insecurity that its natural beauty and scenic landscapes are not enough — they must be ‘improved’ with cable cars, casinos, or loud karaok,” said Pamela McElwee, an assistant professor of human ecology at Rutgers University who has extensively researched Vietnam’s protected areas.
“It’s a real shame,” she said.