VietNamNet Bridge – The national steering committee for tourism will present to the Government draft policies meant to make it easier for international tourists to come to Vietnam, including the loosened visa policy proposal.

An official of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration told the Daily that the visa-free policy should be maintained for the seven major markets, including Japan, South Korea, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. Besides, the visa-free stay for tourists should be 30 days instead of 15 days like now.

Early this month, the Vietnam Tourism Association also presented to the Prime Minister proposals concerning visa issuance at border gates and continued visa-free policy for tourists from the aforesaid seven markets, saying the policy has boosted the growth of arrivals from the important markets.

Arrivals from Russia, South Korea and Japan totaled 1.45 million with revenues of some US$2 billion last year. If the visa-free policy is removed, there is a possibility that the growths of such markets will drop by 50%.

Nguyen Thi Khanh, deputy head of the HCMC Tourism Association, shared the opinion, saying that such proposals will facilitate arrivals of international tourists.

According to the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, Vietnam welcomed some 1.8 million international tourists in the first quarter, down 3.9% year-on-year. Besides, the number of international tourists coming to Vietnam at this time of last year increased by up to 24.5% from the previous year’s same period.

The national steering committee for tourism is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan while Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh serves as the committee’s deputy head.

Source: SGT