Direct air routes deemed key to Viet Nam-India tourism cooperation

Direct air routes deemed key to Viet Nam-India tourism cooperation

Direct air routes are key to boosting tourism between Viet Nam and India, according to Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Tourism, Suman Billa.

General Director of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Van Tuan speaks at the promotion event

A recently signed agreement between India and the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport will serve as an important legal framework to facilitate the development of their transport infrastructure, Billa noted at a tourism promotion event held by the Vietnamese Embassy in New Delhi on March 24.

He said that India is one of the two countries that have had the most tourists going overseas in the world, and encouraged Vietnamese people to visit. He also suggested that if promotional activities are conducted effectively, Viet Nam will be a magnet for Indian visitors because it possesses a multitude of attractive destinations, a rich culinary culture and many shared spiritual and cultural similarities with his country.

General Director of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism, Nguyen Van Tuan, said numerous measures have been taken to strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in tourism, since Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to India last October.

Following the decision of India’s second biggest carrier, Jet Airways, to open a direct air route to Viet Nam, the Southeast Asian country’s national flag carrier Viet Nam Airlines is also planning to launch a direct route to India. This will fuel tourism between the nations, Tuan claimed.

Minister Counsellor of the Vietnamese Embassy, Tran Quang Tuyen, said India has seen the world’s fastest growth in the number of citizens travelling overseas, from 4.4 million in 2000 to 17 million in 2013, up by 13 percent per year on average. The figure is expected to hit 50 million by 2020.

Although Viet Nam welcomed 55,000 Indian tourist arrivals in 2014, a surge from 12,000 in 2007, the number accounted for only 0.07 percent of the total foreign visitors to Viet Nam and 0.03 percent of Indian tourists who spent their holidays overseas.

Meanwhile, only 12,000 Vietnamese people visit India every year, with the majority heading to Buddhist relic sites such as Gaya, Varanasi, and Kushinagar, he noted. He said that this proves tourism cooperation is far behind where it should be.

Tuyen urged for both countries step up tourism promotion and open more direct air routes as soon as possible.

Source: VNA

Bài viết liên quan

	Awarding Medal “For a Cause of Culture, Sports and Tourism” for Ambassador of Hungary to Viet Nam (TITC) – On 17 Mar. 2015, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held a ceremony to award Medal “For a Cause of Culture, Sports and Tourism” for H.E. Dr. Torda Eszter - Ambassador of Hungary to Viet Nam for her contribution to strengthen cooperation relationship between Viet Nam and Hungary in the... Detail >>

	Cultural shows set to welcome IPU-132 Spectacular art performances will be held to mark the forthcoming Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-132), which will begin in Hanoi on March 28, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has announced. Detail >>

	Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival 2015 honors World Heritage in Viet Nam (TITC) - On the occasion of the 40th anniversary Southern Liberation Day (30 April 1975 – 30 April 2015), from 26 to 29 March 2015, in Zone B, 23 September Park (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), the 11th Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival 2015 will take place with the theme “Impression of World Heritage in Viet... Detail >>

	Exhibition on quid of betel chewing custom in Viet Nam As many of 150 objects, documents and photos on quid of betel chewing custom in Viet Nam are on display at an exhibition which has opened at Lam Dong museum in the Central Highlands city of Da Lat. Detail >>

	Can Cau market, a sea of brocade, nightingales and even horse meat The Can Cau market is not as spacious as the markets found in Sa Pa Town or Bac Ha District, but it attracts people from all over due to the cultural diversity of the ethnic groups residing in the border region of Si Ma Cai District. Detail >>

	City clothing, jewellery designer favours ethnic minority fabrics On one mid-summer day, the sun's strong, burning rays seem to have kept most people inside. Endless waves linger on a white, sandy beach in the central province of Binh Thuan. Detail >>

	Press trained for upcoming IPU-132 A press training conference for the upcoming 132nd Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-132) Assembly and related meetings in late March was held in Hanoi on March 20. Detail >>

	External cultural strategy of Viet Nam until 2020 announced The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held a press briefing to announce the cultural strategy for Viet Nnam’s foreign relations until 2020 and the vision for 2030. Detail >>

	Con Au islet a picturesque getaway With its fruit trees and pristine and quiet setting, Con Au in the Cuu Long (Mekong) city of Can Tho is considered the most beautiful islet in the Hau River, a tribute of the Mekong. Detail >>

	Viet Nam promotes cultural heritage education Experts and educators gathered at a seminar in Ha Noi on March 24 to discuss how to include intangible cultural heritage in education for sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region. Detail >>