(TITC) - On August 17, Embassy of Republic of Belarus in Viet Nam and Belarusian Nation Agency of Tourism (Ministry of Sports and Tourism) held an online meeting with Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) on the potential for tourism cooperation between two countries. Vice Chairman Ha Van Sieu led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the meeting.
Vice Chairman Ha Van Sieu led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the meeting (Photo: TITC)
Speaking at the meeting, Vice Chairman Ha Van Sieu informed that Viet Nam and Belarus tourism cooperation has developed fruitfully in recent years. Viet Nam has become an increasingly popular and favourite destination that is appealing Belarusian tourists with various types of tourism, including beach tourism, culture tourism, golf tourism and shopping tourism. Vice versa, Belarus is an incredible destination chosen by many Vietnamese visitors not only for culture and historical tourism but also for other incredible tourism resources.
In recent years, traveling between two countries has been much facilitated. From July 2015, the Government of Viet Nam has applied unilateral visa exemption for Belarusians for a period of 15 days and continues to extend until December 31, 2022. As a result, the number of Belarusian visitors to Viet Nam increases year by year. In 2017, Belarusian tourists to Viet Nam reached 10,500 arrivals. In 2018, this number reached 10,918. In 2019, Belarusian visitors to Viet Nam were 12,665 arrivals, an increase of 16% compared to 2018.
Vice Chairman Ha Van Sieu emphasized that there is a huge opportunity for developing tourism cooperation between Viet Nam and Belarus. However, the current results of tourism cooperation are not commensurate with the tourism potential of each country. Two sides shall continue increasing tourism promotion, information sharing, exchanges of delegations from tourism management agencies, FAMTRIP and PRESSTRIP in order to gain understandings of tourism markets and facilitate each other to participate in the other’s tourism marts, international tourism events when the pandemic is over. These require joint forces and synchronized actions by both sides to respond to the pandemic as well as to recover and develop in the new normal.
At the meeting, two sides also discussed and agreed to sign a memorandum of tourism cooperation (MoU) in the near future.
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