The event was co-organised by national carrier Vietnam Airlines and Transviet Travel, a private tourism and aviation service company.

The delegation is travelling around the country over next week to see Ha Long Bay, Yen Tu, Da Nang, Hoi An, HCM City and Vinh Long, and meet with representatives of several domestic tour and hotel operators.

"This is the first time Transviet has worked with Vietnam Airlines to promote Vietnam in the British market. Vietnam has not yet tapped the potential of this market, and promotion activities remain limited," said Nguyen Hai, chairman of Transviet’s management board.

According to the Vietnam National Administration for Tourism, about 81,000 visitors from the UK arrived in Vietnam last year, a 14 percent increase from the previous year. However, the figure is modest given that more than 30 million Britons travel internationally every year, Mr Hai added.

VNS