European Union has acknowledged Vietnam`s efforts to develop human resources

Hanoi (VNA) – The European Union has acknowledged Vietnam’s efforts to develop
human resources for its tourist industry, especially by coupling the issue to
poverty reduction.

Second Secretary of the Cooperation Development Section of the Delegation of the
European Commission (EC) to Vietnam Johann Farnhammer, stated this at the
country’s annual tourism conference held in Hanoi on September 23, which focused
on the benefits people get from a developed tourism sector.

“We can observe the impacts that tourism has on poverty reduction, especially in
the country’s more remote areas, where the potential to develop tourism is
immense”, said Farnhammer.

He praised the Vietnamese Government’s management of the European Commission
funded project to develop human resources in Vietnam’s tourism sector from
2004-2010.

“The project has achieved many good results mainly through the introduction of a
modern system of national skills standards for low-skilled workers across the
country”, said Farnhammer.

According to the domestic and international experts who are attending the three-day
conference, the development of tourism has played an important role in overcoming
many of Vietnam’s socio-economic difficulties.

In 2008 alone, the number of workers directly or indirectly involved in the tourism
sector reached 1 million people, making up 4 percent of the country’s total
workforce.

Last year, the foreign currency revenue earned from tourism ranked fourth after
crude oil, garments and textiles, footwear and aquatic products.

The conference will last until September 25 and is expected to put into action a
number of initiatives to boost the development of human resources in tourism in a
bid to alleviate poverty.-Enditem