Khanh Hoa tourism promotion conference in Russian Federation

On the morning of March 11, in Moscow City, Russian Federation, Khanh Hoa Province held a conference to promote tourism in the Russian Federation. Attending the conference were Mr. Dang Minh Khoi - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the Russian Federation; Mr. Nguyen Khac Toan - Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, Secretary of the Party Committee of Khanh Hoa Province's Party Agencies; Mr. Tran Hoa Nam - Vice Chairman of Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee; Mr. Manuylov Vyacheslav Viktorovich - Acting Director of Foreign Economic Relations and International Relations of Moscow City and representatives of the Moscow City Tourism Committee and departments, branches and sectors of Khanh Hoa Province. Attending the conference were also more than 130 delegates from tourism associations and enterprises in the Russian Federation and Khanh Hoa Province.

Conference scene.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi affirmed that tourism is an important economic sector, contributing greatly to the socio-economic development of each country. In the context of increasingly strong Vietnam - Russia relations, tourism cooperation between the two countries has made significant progress. The Ambassador emphasized that Russia has always been one of the important markets for Vietnamese tourism. More and more Russian tourists choose Vietnam to explore its culture, cuisine and beautiful nature. In particular, Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa is considered the "beach capital of Vietnam" and is a very popular destination for Russian tourists thanks to its long coastline, clear blue water, mild climate and rich services. In 2024, Vietnam will welcome more than 232,300 Russian visitors, equal to 36% compared to 2019 (before the Covid-19 pandemic), an increase of 84.9% compared to 2023. Russian visitors to Vietnam are expected to continue to increase in 2025. "Vietnam always creates the most favorable conditions for Russian tourists to travel. Currently, Vietnam has exempted 45-day visas for Russian visitors to Vietnam and up to 90 days when applying for e-visas. In the opposite direction, Russia has included Vietnam in the list of countries granted e-visas with a stay of 14 days, a review time of 3 days and simple procedures. The Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership continues to develop strongly, creating momentum for tourism development cooperation between the two countries," Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi affirmed.

Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi speaks at the conference.

To promote Khanh Hoa tourism potential, the Organizing Committee screened a video introducing the province's unique destinations, from the beautiful beaches of Nha Trang to high-end resorts, diverse sea tourism services and unique local cultural experiences. Also at the conference, delegates spent time discussing specific solutions to overcome difficulties to restore the Russian tourist market. Representatives of tourism businesses and delegates from both sides expressed their consensus and commitment to close cooperation, with the goal of taking advantage of preferential policies, as well as exchange initiatives, to overcome current difficulties towards a sustainable development future for the tourism industry of both sides.

Representatives of Khanh Hoa tourism enterprises introduce products to representatives of Russian Federation travel agencies.

Russian travel agency representatives learn about tourism in Khanh Hoa.

Speaking at the conference, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Hoa Nam expressed his appreciation for the presence of representatives of Russian tourism enterprises; and affirmed that Russian tourists are a traditional tourist market for Khanh Hoa tourism in particular and Vietnam in general. In 2019, there were about 463,000 Russian tourists visiting and traveling in Khanh Hoa province, accounting for 71.6% of the total number of Russian tourists to Vietnam and being the second largest international tourist market of the province at that time. However, the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic and geopolitical instability has caused the number of tourists from Russia to Khanh Hoa to decrease sharply. By 2024, the number of Russian tourists to Khanh Hoa has recovered, reaching more than 105,500 arrivals, an increase of 206% compared to 2023, but only 22.8% compared to 2019. Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Hoa Nam expressed his hope that the success of the Khanh Hoa Tourism Promotion Conference in the Russian Federation this time will contribute to restoring and expanding the Russian tourist market after the recent difficult period.

Also within the framework of the conference, representatives of Russian enterprises visited the exhibition area with many attractive products and promotional publications, providing a comprehensive view of the province's tourism services and potential. In particular, through the B2B (Business to Business) session at the conference, representatives of Russian and Khanh Hoa enterprises directly exchanged, connected and built long-term business cooperation relationships with partners from Khanh Hoa in the coming time.

* Immediately after the conference, the delegation of Khanh Hoa province had a working session with representatives of the Russian national airline Aeroflot. The main objective of the meeting was to discuss in detail the plan to restore the direct flight route from Moscow City to Cam Ranh International Airport - a very busy route but has been interrupted since the beginning of 2020 due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Hoa Nam and members of the working delegation worked with Aeroflot airline.

Speaking at the meeting, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Hoa Nam emphasized the importance of opening a direct flight route in promoting tourism between the two countries. "Previously, the direct flight time from Moscow to Cam Ranh was only about 9-10 hours, making it easy for Russian tourists to come to Khanh Hoa without having to transit through other countries. Restoring the flight route from Moscow to Khanh Hoa not only shortens travel time but also reduces airfare costs, creating favorable conditions to promote the growth of the Russian tourist market - one of the major international tourist markets of Khanh Hoa tourism", Mr. Tran Hoa Nam expressed.

At the meeting, Aeroflot representatives said that the airline is closely monitoring the trend of international tourism recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, especially the increase in Russian travel demand to warm destinations in Southeast Asia. In particular, Khanh Hoa stands out as a great destination for Russian tourists thanks to its outstanding sea and island tourism potential, beautiful natural landscapes and ideal warm climate. Accordingly, Aeroflot has planned to reopen the flight route to Cam Ranh with a frequency of 2 flights/week from the end of March 2025 and will consider the possibility of increasing the flight frequency during the peak tourist season, depending on the market situation. The reopening of the flight route from Moscow to Cam Ranh not only meets the wishes of tourists but also contributes to promoting trade and bilateral cooperation between Russia and Vietnam.

CONG MINH - XUAN THANH

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/chinh-tri/202503/hoi-nghi-xuc-tien-du-lich-khanh-hoa-tai-lien-bang-nga-3511fa8/