More Russian tourists are heading to Vietnam as it is a beautiful and safe destination, according to Sergey Korneev, vice director of the Russian Administration of Tourism (Rostourism).

Traditionally, Russian people often travel to Turkey and Egypt. But in recent times, they have changed the route to Asian countries because of the complicated political and social situation in the two countries.

“Vietnam is attractive to Russians thanks to its beautiful landscape, charming beaches and the stable status in society and politics,” he said at a recent conference to promote tourism between Vietnam and Russia.

The conference was held in the framework of Vietnam International Travel Mart 2016 in which Russian delegates are honoured guests of the Vietnam Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

Russia opened a tourist office in Hanoi on April 14 as part of its plans to boost ties with Southeast Asia and the Republic of Korea.

The Hanoi-based Visit Russia office is the eighth representative office of the country around the world, and its officials said their job is to introduce Asia’s tourism potential to Russians and vice versa.

Korneev said the office’s establishment will open up opportunities to foster tourism between Russia and regional countries.

It will attract more Asian tourists to the East European nation and provide information for Russian people interested in visiting Vietnam and other Southeast Asian destinations, he added.

“Opening the Southeast Asian office in Hanoi proved our concern and interest in promoting tourism in Vietnam,” he said.

Russia was among Vietnam’s biggest tourist markets until last year when the rouble began to tumble.

Russian arrivals in 2015 were down 7 percent from the previous year. The market has fully recovered thanks to a visa policy introduced last year that allows Russians to stay in Vietnam for 15 days without a visa.

“Our country received 108,750 Russians in the first quarter, 13.5 percent more than in the same period last year, making Russia the European country with the highest number of visitors to Vietnam,” Nguyen Quoc Hung, vice director of the VNAT, said.

At the conference, the VNAT and Rostourism signed a memorandum to cooperate on tourism promotion. Accordingly, Vietnam will arrange tours to suit Russian visitors’ taste and demand and vice versa.

For example, a 15-day tour brings Russian tourists to the southern provinces of Binh Dinh and Phu Yen which own most the beautiful and pristine beaches in the country. Tourists also have two or three days in Hanoi to enjoy the cultural heritage and art performances.

“Now Russian tourists, especially young people, don’t love beaches alone, they also want to go trekking and discover the local culture,” Vu The Binh, deputy head of Vietnam Tourism Association said.

“We have worked with Russian businesses and discussed the solution to promote tourism. In the future, we will suggest new tours to Vietnam to the Russians,” Binh said.

VNA