Viet Nam expects to welcome 100,000 Indian tourist arrivals in the near future as the two countries hold huge potential to develop bilateral ties in this field, stated Nguyen Quoc Hung, deputy head of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
My Son Sanctuary (Quang Nam) - one of attractive destinations to Indian tourists
To that end, a conference to promote Viet Nam-India tourism and aviation collaboration will be held in Ha Noi on November 29 with the participation of 22 Indian leading tourism agencies and journalists, Hung said at a press conference on November 21.
The conference is held in the framework of a Farm Tour hosted by the VNAT and designed for the Indian market, which takes place from November 23–29, he added.
The official outlined several measures to enhance tourism and aviation links between the two countries, such as inviting more Indian travel agencies and journalists to Viet Nam for market study and increasing promotion activities in India.
Indian Ambassador to Viet Nam Preeti Saran shared that most of Indian travelers favour cultural and historical sites, especially those related to Buddhism and Hinduism. Therefore, the world cultural heritage site of My Son in central Quang Nam province and ancient pagodas are attractive destinations to Indian holiday-makers.
She suggested the Vietnamese tourism sector strengthen the promotion of its cuisine among Indian tourists as Viet Nam has a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits that meet the taste of Indians, particularly vegetarians.
The diplomat also proposed paying attention to visa policies and price competitiveness with Thailand and Cambodia.
At present 10,000 Indian tourists come to Viet Nam every year due to the lack of information on Vietnamese tourism and a direct air route between the two countries.
However, on November 5, India’s Jet Airways launched direct routes between New Delhi and Mumbai and Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air also have plans to run direct flights to India’s localities. The opening of direct flights is expected to help foster the two countries’ tourism ties.