Vietnam - Israel strengthen cooperation to promote tourist exchange

Director of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh spoke at the reception.

Welcoming Ambassador Yaron Mayer to visit and work with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Director Nguyen Trung Khanh said that Vietnam's tourism has had an impressive recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic. In the ASEAN region, Vietnam is the country with the highest tourism recovery rate of 98% by 2024. In particular, the Government and the Prime Minister are very interested in tourism development and consider it an important sector of the country. In recent times, the Government and the National Assembly have considered removing many bottlenecks to attract international visitors to Vietnam and create conditions for Vietnamese tourists to travel abroad. In addition, Vietnam has focused on building unique tourism products based on culture and improving competitiveness in the region.

In 2024, Vietnam will welcome nearly 18 million international visitors and serve 110 million domestic visitors. With new policies, Vietnam's tourism industry has created an attraction for international visitors, especially during the peak season. In 2025, Vietnam aims to welcome 22-23 million international visitors and serve 120-130 million domestic visitors, a high target for the tourism industry.

Mr. Yaron Mayer, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to Vietnam, spoke at the meeting.

According to Ambassador Yaron Mayer, after Covid-19, the number of Israeli tourists to Vietnam has recorded growth and received impressive feedback on Vietnamese culture and cuisine . This is a positive signal and an opportunity for the two countries to promote stronger tourist exchange in the future.

Ambassador Yaron Mayer said that tourism is the key point in enhancing the relationship with each country. Therefore, the Ambassador made a number of proposals to the Vietnam National Tourism Administration to enhance the exchange of tourists between the two countries such as: promoting direct flights between the two countries; supporting visa exemption for tourists traveling in groups; organizing famtrip programs for tourism businesses of the two countries.

Overview of the working session.

During the meeting, the Ambassador also sent an invitation to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to attend the annual International Mediterranean Tourism Fair (IMTM) in Israel this coming May. This is the only official and official trade and tourism fair of Israel held annually to create opportunities for contact between travel companies as well as the Israeli and international tourism industry.

Director Nguyen Trung Khanh presented a souvenir to Ambassador Yaron Mayer.

Director Nguyen Trung Khanh said that the Ambassador's proposals were very "correct" and "on point" in order to increase the exchange of tourists between the two countries. In the field of tourism, the two countries signed an Agreement in 1996 and it is still in effect, in which the two sides have had many cooperative contents such as welcoming famtrip groups and participating in tourism fairs. The Director also said that, besides the achieved results, the tourism potential of the two countries has not been effectively exploited when there are still difficulties such as no direct flights or lack of large-scale tourism promotion programs...

Leaders of the two sides took souvenir photos.

Agreeing with the Ambassador's proposal to organize a famtrip, the Director suggested that the two sides have a contact point for more specific discussions, and that the Vietnam National Tourism Administration is ready to coordinate with the Israeli Embassy to organize tourism promotion programs. Regarding the opening of a direct flight between the two countries, the Director said that he would inform the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, but this is a new flight route, so the Director suggested that the Embassy report to the Israeli Government to have appropriate support policies. Assessing Israel as a potential market and the increasing demand for overseas travel of Vietnamese people, the Director suggested that the Embassy report to the Israeli Government to create more favorable conditions regarding visa policies for Vietnamese people to Israel.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/viet-nam-israel-tang-cuong-hop-tac-thuc-day-trao-doi-khach-du-lich-20250416094548058.htm