The Head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Nguyen Van Tuan, on May 27 met with the Chairman of Egypt Tourism Authority (ETA), Naser Hamdy, in Cairo before ending his week-long visit to the country.
Both sides agreed to join efforts in the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tourism Cooperation signed in 2006 by ironing out snags for tour coordination.
The VNAT proposed that the ETA to work with the Egypt Air to launch direct flights to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with assistance from its representative office in Vietnam.
VNAT Head Tuan expressed hopes that tourism cooperation between the two countries will contribute to promoting their people's mutual understanding.
He asked the Vietnamese Embassy and Egyptian Embassy to accelerate the granting of visas for tourists from both countries.
In recent years, Vietnam has become an interesting destination for foreign tourists and businesses, who are interested in discovery, eco- and maritime tourism potential, Tuan said.
The number of visitors to Vietnam tripled within a decade to reach nearly 7 million by 2012, while about 5 million Vietnamese visited foreign countries each year he added.