What do you see from the Indian billionaire bringing 4,500 employees to Vietnam for tourism?

(Dan Tri) - Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Sandeep Arya praised Vietnam for its success in attracting more and more Indian tourists, especially the event of welcoming a delegation of 4,500 employees of an Indian billionaire.

At the end of August, a group of 4,500 guests from the pharmaceutical company Sun Pharmaceutical of an Indian billionaire came to Vietnam for tourism. They divided into many small groups to visit Hanoi on different days, stayed at luxury hotels and had a tour of Hanoi - Ninh Binh - Ha Long. The highlight of the group of 4,500 Indian guests was 16 gala awards nights and electronic music at the most luxurious hotels in Hanoi. Many experts believe that this event is a "test" and a "boost" for the MICE tourism industry in Vietnam. Dan Tri newspaper had a discussion with Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Sandeep Arya about this issue.

A group of 4,500 Indian tourists visited the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam in August (Photo: Manh Quan).

"Vietnam has successfully attracted more and more Indian tourists"

The Indian billionaire and Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Group brought 4,500 employees to Vietnam for a combined tourism and conference. This is a group of visitors with a record size and number, posing many challenges to ensure operations for the units. How does the Ambassador evaluate this event? Ambassador Sandeep Arya : I would like to commend Vietnam for its success in attracting more and more Indian tourists. This number has grown very rapidly from 2022 to 2023 and we can see that this year this trend is still very positive, continuing to grow. Normally, Indian tourists come to Vietnam for the purpose of pure relaxation or tourism. But the group of 4,500 visitors from Sun Pharmaceuticals has shown a new trend - MICE tourism including Meeting, Incentive, Conference and Exhibition. This is an emerging trend where large corporations are organizing events abroad and groups like this are trying to combine business and tourism. I am very happy to see the number of Indian tourists coming to Vietnam increasing. In my opinion, Vietnam is a very attractive destination for Indian tourists, with the number increasing over the last 2-3 years. This year, it is estimated that there will be about half a million Indian tourists coming to Vietnam. To promote tourism, Vietnam is doing a great job in enhancing information, upgrading infrastructure, increasing flights. These factors combined will encourage tourism.

Data from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism shows that in 2023, Vietnam welcomed more than 392,000 Indian visitors, an increase of 231% compared to 2019. However, in the first 6 months of this year alone, our country welcomed 231,000 Indian visitors, a remarkable increase of 164% compared to the same period in 2023. According to assessments, India is currently one of the 10 largest international tourist markets of Vietnam.

Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Sandeep Arya (Photo: Minh Nhan).

What are the opportunities for Vietnam to continue to welcome delegations like the 4,500 employees of an Indian billionaire, sir? Ambassador Sandeep Arya : The 4,500-strong Indian delegation has demonstrated the expansion of the tourism industry and the increase in Indian tourists to Vietnam. There are some new elements in the tourism industry such as wedding tourism, film production projects. The MICE tourism trend is developing very positively, shifting from traditional forms of tourism to new forms such as conferences and seminars. I see a comprehensive expansion of tourism promotion efforts and opportunities in the tourism industry from increased information to group tourism activities. According to the Ambassador, what are Vietnam's advantages when welcoming the "wave" of high-spending tourists from India? Ambassador Sandeep Arya : As I said, in reality there are many different groups of tourists. Besides the traditional pure tourist group, the high-spending group is looking for high-quality facilities, with more specific needs. For example, golf is becoming a concern for short-term tourists. Similarly, wedding tourism is a promising segment because it is usually a large group of guests. About 500 people or more, traveling together for 3-4 days at a location and will use the services at the accommodation full-time. Expanding tourist destinations is also a way to attract more Indian tourists. There are 2-3 famous destinations for Indian tourists in Vietnam such as: Hanoi, Ha Long, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. Expanding new tourist destinations and developing facilities there will be very promising, such as Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Sa Pa to attract high-spending tourists.

The 4,500-guest group of Indian billionaires traveling to Trang An (Ninh Binh) were welcomed with strict culinary standards (Photo: Thanh Dong, Thai Ba).

"Golden season" attracts international tourists to Vietnam

From August 15, 2023, the new visa policy will increase the validity of electronic visas (e-visas) from 30 days to 90 days, with multiple entries. What is your assessment of the impact of the new visa policy on Vietnam's tourism? Ambassador Sandeep Arya : I think the e-visa policy has a positive impact in both directions: Indian visitors to Vietnam and Vietnamese visitors to India. It is a fairly effective system, taking only about 3 days to issue a visa, playing an important role in promoting two-way tourism. Of course, we will have competition from other countries in the world. For example, Malaysia and Thailand also have visa exemption policies for citizens of other countries, including India. This is also a factor that tourists are interested in. All of these factors combined will promote growth in the number of visitors. We have enough foundations to develop and visas play an important role in promoting two-way tourism. From September this year to April next year is considered the "golden season" for attracting international tourists to Vietnam. Does the Ambassador have any recommendations to help Vietnam attract Indian tourists? Ambassador Sandeep Arya : I think Vietnam is doing very well and as you said, the tourist season in Vietnam is approaching thanks to factors such as favorable weather. In addition, direct flights between India and Vietnam are up to 55-56 flights/week, which is also a way to promote tourism. Next, we can streamline the visa issuance process, then disseminate information about new tourist destinations; develop infrastructure, promote information about those locations. The Vietnamese side also discussed with me the process of promoting to more places in India outside the big cities. Thus, I see steady growth thanks to the efforts of the Vietnamese Government to attract Indian tourists.

Indian Ambassador to Vietnam introduces the film "Love in Vietnam" (Photo: Minh Nhan).

Tourism is a rapidly growing sector between India and Vietnam. Could you please tell us about your plans to promote tourism cooperation between the two countries? Ambassador Sandeep Arya : I see that both countries are increasing their promotion. On the Indian side, in the past year, we have taken Vietnamese travel companies to explore new destinations in India, such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. We are trying to take them to more new regions to raise awareness and diversify choices for tourists. Secondly, efforts are being made to expand flight routes as more and more airlines are operating flights between India and Vietnam. Three months ago, Air India also launched a direct flight, becoming the fourth airline to operate it alongside Vietnam Airlines, VietJet and Indigo. VietJet has also announced a new route between Da Nang and Ahmedabad starting next month. So we have new cities connected to each other, with more routes and more airlines. Third, travel agencies are coming up with interesting packages. It is also a good trend to coordinate and encourage them to increase their packages. I would also like to introduce a movie called Love in Vietnam . The Indian producers have announced that the movie will be shot in 3-4 locations in Vietnam, starting from Da Lat (Da Lat is not yet a famous place for Indian tourists) on September 23. The movie will be shot in the next 4 months, produced by India, with the participation of both Vietnamese and Indian actors. From the title Love in Vietnam , we can see that this is a romantic movie. This is also an interesting trend to use cinema to promote tourism. And as an Embassy, ​​we believe that people-to-people exchanges are very important to the relationship between the two countries. Indians have a lot of warmth, care and curiosity towards Vietnam and vice versa. I am happy to see the tourism industry growing with more visitors, mutual understanding and appreciation, more support for friendship as a diplomatic aspect of tourism. I think the prospects for two-way tourism between India and Vietnam will be very bright in the coming years. Thank you very much Ambassador Sandeep Arya for the chat!