Visa exemption policy shows positive signals for tourism sector – Attractions – Travel

Visa exemption policy shows positive signals for tourism sector – Attractions – Travel

According to experts, the Resolution of the Government on visa exemption needs to overcome existing inadequacies to gain the dual benefits for tourism sector in the coming time.
As soon as the visa exemption for travelers from 6 European countries including: the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Belarus took effect, the number of tourists from these markets increased significantly.
Notably, the number of Italian and Spainish tourists rose by 10%.
According to the CEO of Asian Trails Co. Bui Viet Thuy Tien: “As a travel agent providing services for European customers, I believe the number of tourists from these European countries will increase sharply in the coming months. Because the summer attracts most of visitors from Italian and Spainish markets, while the remained seasons often attract tourists of other markets”.
Customers often book tours before half a year, so the number of foreign arrivals from these markets is expected to increase strongly after 6 months of implementation of this policy, Tien added.
In 2015, international visitors to Hanoi reached 3.4 million arrivals, up 12% compared to the same period of 2014, accounting for nearly 40% of the country’s foreign tourists. Meanwhile, foreign visitors to Vietnam increased by nearly 1% in the year.

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Experts said that Vietnam’s visa exemption policy should be expanded in the coming time. Beside six European countries, the country only implemented the visa exemption for 7 countries, including Russia, Japan, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Korea, Finland, and 10 ASEAN nations.
Meanwhile, Singapore deployed the visa exemption for citizens of 150 countries and territories, Thailand’s visa exemption was paid to visitors of more than 50 countries. These countries also used technology application to grant online visa to promote tourism.
Deputy General Director of Plaza Hotel Vu Dinh Tan proposed that the limited time should be extended to 30 days as other countries. In addition, the tourism industry needs to continue to study and expand the visa exemption to some potential markets, with high-spending levels, he added.
However, visa exemption is only a necessary condition, the tourism industry should focus on developing its products and upgrading services in order to lure more international tourists.
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