Vietnamese firms promote trade and tourism in Australia

The function featured the participation of over 80 businesses, organisations, travel agencies, partners, and guests from many different Australian localities.

As part of his speech at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh stated that the Vietnamese Government is fully committed to opening its borders and welcoming visitors from Australia and New Zealand, as well as other countries.

For many years, Vietnam has consistently been a favourite destination for Australian tourists. Indeed, back in 2019 just before the outbreak of the pandemic, the number of tourists traveling between the two countries increased by a record figure of 600,000 people.

Ambassador Thanh noted that the two sides established a strategic partnership back in 2018. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the close-knit relationship between the two countries has continued to grow across a variety of fields, such as politics, economics, and culture.

The Vietnamese diplomat said he believes that moving forward, the number of tourists traveling between the two nations will grow further, eventually surpassing the record level set in the pre-pandemic period.

As the highest-ranking representative of the Vietnamese Government in Australia, Ambassador Thanh affirmed that he would strive to create the most favourable conditions possible for Australian tourists and travel operators to access the market and explore the beauty of the nation.

Vanessa Rengger, Australia's managing director of TMG, emphasised that the "door" to Vietnam remains open to Australian tourists in particular, as well as international tourists in general. She announced that entry and visa policies have returned to the way they were before the pandemic, with the number of international visitors to the country constantly increasing.

As a means of preparing for the return of international tourists, TMG Group and Vietnamese travel companies have also outlined a welcome plan while ensuring the safety of guests without impacting their schedule, as well as giving them the ability to explore and enjoy the nation.

Truong Tran Ngoc Hung, vice president of Marketing and Sales Department of Vietnam Airlines, said that following the Vietnamese Government announcing the opening of the border, Vietnam Airlines swiftly resumed regular flights to 15 international destinations, with Australia being a priority markets.

Currently in the Australian market, Vietnam Airlines is operating seven direct flights per week, connecting major cities in both countries. It is expected that from July, the airline's flight schedule will increase to 11 flights and will continue to expand to 16 flights starting from the end of October.

Rebecca George, managing director of Marketing and Communications at SCL, said that in April, a total of 610,000 tourists from Australia headed abroad, a record number since the outbreak of the pandemic, with this trend expected to continue to increase in the near future.

The "Rediscover Vietnam" conference held in Australia represents the closing event of a series of Vietnamese tourism promotion programmes that have been organised by TMG, Vietnam Airlines, and partners throughout many countries, including the UK, Germany, France, the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.

The conference took place at the start of Australia's winter break follow their complete removal of pandemic prevention requirements coupled with the acceleration of its international tourism promotion scheme.