Propose Australia to relax visa for Vietnamese people

Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh suggested that Australia consider easing visa application procedures and reducing visa processing time for Vietnamese tourists to encourage more Vietnamese tourists to visit Australia.

Within the framework of the activities of the Vietnam - Australia Tourism Conference in Melbourne City on the morning of June 17, the Vietnam National Tourism Administration held a bilateral meeting with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and the Australian National Tourism Agency (Tourism Australia).

Australia is one of the favorite destinations for Vietnamese people. MM

Speaking at the meeting, Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh said that in recent years, tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Australia has received special attention and has brought about positive results. With the attention from senior leaders and national tourism agencies, tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Australia is increasingly developing with the active participation of stakeholders in the tourism industry.

In 2023, Vietnam will welcome 390,000 Australian tourists, up 2.7 times compared to 2022 and 2% higher than the pre-pandemic level in 2019. 2024 is also witnessing a continued growth trend of Australian tourists to Vietnam. In the first 5 months of the year, Australia ranked 7th among the leading international tourist markets to Vietnam, with 213,000 Australian tourists visiting Vietnam, up 35% compared to the same period in 2023.

On the other hand, Vietnam is the only tourist market in Southeast Asia that has seen an increase in visitors returning to Australia after the pandemic. In 2023, there will be 166,630 visitors from Vietnam to Australia, an increase of 35% compared to 2019.

Recalling the meeting and working session with Austrade and the Australian National Tourism Authority at the headquarters of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration in 2023, Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh affirmed that the Vietnamese side supports the efforts of the Australian side to enhance bilateral tourism cooperation through market research projects, tourism data, training on sustainable development... as well as meaningful activities and conferences this time.

One of the most important drivers to promote tourist exchanges between the two countries is to facilitate travel and tourism. After the pandemic, Vietnamese airlines opened new routes to increase tourist traffic from various cities in Australia. Vietnam has also applied an electronic visa program for Australian tourists, helping to shorten the visa processing time to only 3-5 days. On this occasion, the Director of the Department of Tourism also proposed that Australia consider easing visa application procedures and reducing visa processing time for Vietnamese tourists to encourage more Vietnamese tourists to come to Australia.

Within the framework of the meeting, the two sides agreed to consider continuing to organize bilateral meetings between tourism management agencies of the two sides in the coming time, discussing the possibility of signing a Vietnam - Australia tourism cooperation document to promote activities to promote tourist exchange, promote and implement joint tourism projects.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/de-nghi-uc-noi-visa-cho-nguoi-viet-nam-185240618085802903.htm