The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) expects touristarrivals from five western European countries to increase by 50 percentin the next three years as visa exemption norms kicked in this month.
Annually,some 700,000 western Europe nationals visit Vietnam while about 150,000Vietnamese visit these five countries, VNAT Director Nguyen Van Tuansaid.
The figures are short of the potential, Tuan said, whichis why Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung agreed to grant visa exemption topeople from these five countries in an attempt to lure more tourists toVietnam.
Residents of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italyand Spain no more require a visa to travel to Vietnam for stays thatlast no longer than 15 days. The PM's decision came into effect on July 1this year and will remain effective until June 30, 2016.
Theadministration is hoping the visa exemption and some tourism stimulusprogrammes will attract 1.1 million arrivals from those markets in thenext three years, up 50 percent from 2015.
Vu The Binh, DeputyChairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said the administration andthe association must develop new tourism products to meet the demandfrom tourists from the five western European countries to learn aboutVietnamese culture and explore nature in the country.
Cost isalso one of the factors in attracting more tourists, so the prices ofthe new tourism products should be reduced by 20-30 percent, compared tothe normal products, he said.
Vietnam should have strongtourism promotion programmes for the five western European markets andorganise information campaigns on the tourism stimulus programmes forthose markets, Binh said. The country should also improve the quality ofits promotional activities at the two leading tourism fairs in theworld, WTM in the United Kingdom this year and ITB Berlin 2016, andorganise some roadshows in the five countries, he said.
TheNguoi Lao dong newspaper said the local tourist companies and theadministration should carefully consider their participation in thetourism fairs because they are only occasions for Vietnam to introduceits national image, not sell tourism products.
Tuan said thatthe Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism would propose that theGovernment continue visa exemption for tourists from other potentialmarkets.-VNA
Annually,some 700,000 western Europe nationals visit Vietnam while about 150,000Vietnamese visit these five countries, VNAT Director Nguyen Van Tuansaid.
The figures are short of the potential, Tuan said, whichis why Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung agreed to grant visa exemption topeople from these five countries in an attempt to lure more tourists toVietnam.
Residents of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italyand Spain no more require a visa to travel to Vietnam for stays thatlast no longer than 15 days. The PM's decision came into effect on July 1this year and will remain effective until June 30, 2016.
Theadministration is hoping the visa exemption and some tourism stimulusprogrammes will attract 1.1 million arrivals from those markets in thenext three years, up 50 percent from 2015.
Vu The Binh, DeputyChairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said the administration andthe association must develop new tourism products to meet the demandfrom tourists from the five western European countries to learn aboutVietnamese culture and explore nature in the country.
Cost isalso one of the factors in attracting more tourists, so the prices ofthe new tourism products should be reduced by 20-30 percent, compared tothe normal products, he said.
Vietnam should have strongtourism promotion programmes for the five western European markets andorganise information campaigns on the tourism stimulus programmes forthose markets, Binh said. The country should also improve the quality ofits promotional activities at the two leading tourism fairs in theworld, WTM in the United Kingdom this year and ITB Berlin 2016, andorganise some roadshows in the five countries, he said.
TheNguoi Lao dong newspaper said the local tourist companies and theadministration should carefully consider their participation in thetourism fairs because they are only occasions for Vietnam to introduceits national image, not sell tourism products.
Tuan said thatthe Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism would propose that theGovernment continue visa exemption for tourists from other potentialmarkets.-VNA
