An Australian fam-trip delegation is surveying Vietnam’s tourism to sound out business prospects and work with potential local partners over measures to promote travel between the two nations.

The delegation will survey Vietnamese well-known tourist destinations including Hoi An Ancient Town

According to the Vietnam Administration of Tourism (VNAT), it in conjunction with Vietjet Air and Singapore Airlines are receiving the fam-trip delegation from Perth, Sydney and Melbourne of Australia to survey Vietnamese well-known tourist destinations of Can Gio, My Son, Hoi An, Hue, Ha Noi and Ha Long.

At a meeting with the delegation, Ngo Hoai Chung, VNAT’s Deputy General Director, said that Australia is one of the key markets of Vietnam’s tourist industry, ranking seventh among the 10 leading tourist markets of Vietnam. 

In 2016, Vietnam welcomed 320,688 Australian tourists, an increase of 5.6 percent compared to 2015. In the first 10 months of 2017, the number of Australian visitors to Vietnam was 308,560, up 14.2 percent year-on-year. 

Chung expected that the visit of the Australian delegation to Vietnam will further promote cooperation between the two countries and there will be more Australians to choose Vietnam as an attractive tourist destination. 

Previously, in August, the VNAT also organized a roadshow to introduce Vietnam tourism in three Australian cities of Perth, Sydney and Melbourne as part of the 2017 National Tourism Promotion Program. The event attracted many Australian travel companies to come to exchange and connect with Vietnamese partners, opening up new opportunities for cooperation between the two sides. 

Under Viet Nam’s tourism promotion strategy, the VNAT named Australia among the key markets as visitors from the country often spend much and stay long. Australia is expected to be a strongly growing market in 2017 and the following years as Vietnamese cultural, gastronomic, and ecological tourism is attracting Australian visitors. 

According to Chung, Vietnam’s tourism has developed strongly in recent years with the policy of making it a spearhead sector. In the first 10 months of 2017, international visitors to Vietnam reached over 10.47 million, up 28.1 percent over the same period last year.

October was the seventh month since the beginning of this year in which Vietnam has welcomed more than 1 million foreign visitors.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has made significant efforts to boost tourism since the beginning of this year, with a focus on tourism promotion campaigns in Vietnam’s key markets. The tourism industry also participated in international tourism fairs, while hosting international delegations from potential markets in order to survey Vietnam’s tourism market.  

Hanoi Times