Ample room ahead for Vietnam-India tourism growth
VOV.VN - An international conference was held on January 7 in Hanoi as part of efforts to ramp up tourism co-operation between Vietnam and India.
The event took place as part of activities aimed at celebrating the 53rd anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (January 7, 1972 - January 7, 2025).
In his address, Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Sandeep Arya highlighted tourism potential between the two countries, affirming that tourism representing one of the key pillars in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership among the two sides.
Recent years has seen the number of Indian tourists heading to Vietnam undergo remarkable growth of 30% per year over the past three years. In 2024, about 500,000 Indian tourists visited Vietnam.
Meanwhile, the number of Vietnamese travelers to India reached about 37,000 in 2023, equivalent to growth of about 35% compared to 2022.
The Indian diplomat emphasized the necessity of increasing direct flights between the two countries, noting that there are currently only 56 direct flights per week.
Recently, the aviation authorities of both sides have decided to increase the number of direct flights by 14, linking six cities in India, including New Delhi, Chennai, and Mumbai, to those in Vietnam. He also stated that the joint e-visa mechanism is also being effectively implemented with a significant rise in the number of e-visas issued to tourists.
The ambassador expressed his hope that travel firms will launch stimulus packages to make popular destinations in both nations to become better known to people of the two countries.
Sandeep Arya underscored the importance of diversification of tourism forms, including spiritual, resort, and MICE tourism as part of efforts to promote the number of tourists moving forward.
