Experts expect the entire EU bloc or some members to be added to Vietnam's visa exemption list, as this market has a group of "quality" visitors.
In the Directive dated February 15 urging key tasks after the Tet holiday, the Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promptly summarize and evaluate the application of the unilateral visa exemption policy for citizens of 13 countries in the past. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security should propose expanding the list of countries whose citizens are unilaterally exempted from visas to Vietnam.
Responding to VnExpress , Mr. Martin Koerner - Chairman of the Tourism & Hospitality Subcommittee of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (Eurocham) - said visa exemption is a "powerful tool" to develop tourism, attract international visitors by helping to reduce costs and time for tourists. Research by the World Tourism Organization shows that visa exemption can help increase the number of visitors by 25%, stimulating demand for tourism services such as accommodation, travel, dining, entertainment, and shopping.
Foreign tourists walking on Hai Ba Trung Street, Thua Thien - Hue, March 2023. Photo: Vo Thanh
Mr. Martin proposed visa exemption for all European Union (EU) citizens, emphasizing that this is "necessary". According to him, the EU is a strategic market for Vietnamese tourism and EU tourists have a good awareness of protecting the environment, local culture, and respecting the law. They also regularly contribute to the development of local tourism by sharing experiences, providing feedback, and supporting sustainable and responsible tourism activities.
Visa exemptions for EU citizens make Vietnam more attractive and accessible, “encouraging this group to travel and stay longer,” Mr Martin said. Last year, Eurocham proposed visa exemptions for the entire EU, but they were unsuccessful.
As Vietnam considers easing tourist visas, he hopes that at least citizens of the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Poland and Belgium will be considered first. These are all countries with leading tourist sources in Europe, especially the Netherlands.
Mr. Pham Ha, Chairman of Lux Group - a unit specializing in 5-star yachts - also shares the same opinion and wants the Government to consider visa exemption for some other key markets such as the US, Australia, and New Zealand. Mr. Ha said that Europe is home to a market of "quality customers" and tourists can easily come to Vietnam because there are direct flights from the UK, France, and Germany.
Last year, Vietnam also made some changes to its visa policy by extending the validity of e-visas to 90 days, allowing multiple entries, and increasing the visa exemption period from 15 days to 45 days for citizens of 13 countries. Eurocham representative said that this change has boosted the tourism industry in Vietnam but "has not been completely successful" without increasing the number of visa-free countries.
Mr Martin said other countries in the region, especially Thailand, are doing a good job of gaining market share through open visa policies. Vietnam currently exempts visas for visitors from 25 countries, compared to 162 for Malaysia and Singapore, 157 for the Philippines, 68 for Japan, 66 for South Korea and 64 for Thailand. Mr Martin stressed that Thailand also exempts visas for major source markets such as the EU and China - Vietnam's main source of visitors.
According to the General Statistics Office, Asia was the largest source of international visitors to Vietnam last year with 9.78 million arrivals, led by South Korea (28%), China (24%), followed by Taiwan, the US and Japan. However, the number of Chinese visitors to Vietnam last year was 4.1 million fewer than in 2019. Statistics show that the recovery rate of the European and Asian markets is still slow - reaching 67% and 68% respectively.
Tourists view paintings on a 5-star cruise in Lan Ha Bay. Photo: Pham Ha
In addition to visa exemption, Mr. Pham Ha hopes for a "handshake" between Vietnam and other countries in the region to bring tourists the experience of "one journey, many destinations". In early February, Thailand proposed that it wants to cooperate with Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia to create a common visa policy, allowing EU visitors to move freely when holding a visa for one of the five countries.
"Travel companies like us have been waiting for a simplified visa policy for a long time. It's really a dream," said Ha, adding that the cooperation makes it easier for them to design long-term itineraries for tourists. These trips are especially popular with Western tourists, who account for 25% of Lux Group's total customers. Ha hopes that this number can increase to 40% when cooperation agreements between countries are approved.
Mr. Pham Hai Quynh, Director of the Asian Tourism Development Institute, said that tourism agencies certainly want Vietnam to exempt visas for developed countries. However, the decision to open more markets to many ministries and sectors needs to be decided by many ministries and sectors, not just the tourism sector. Mr. Quynh said that expanding the visa exemption creates favorable conditions to stimulate international tourism but needs to "ensure safety and manage risks".
Another suggestion from Eurocham in attracting international visitors is that Vietnam needs to promote tourism better abroad, promoting strongly at international trade shows such as ITB Berlin, WTM London or ILTM Shanghai. In addition, Vietnam should consider opening tourism representative offices abroad in key markets to support promotion.
Tu Nguyen
Source link
Comment (0)