(TITC) - Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOSCT) Doan Van Viet had a meeting in Ha Noi on March 9 with a delegation from the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC). Vice Chairman of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Mr. Pham Van Thuy attended the meeting.
Deputy Minister Doan Van Viet (middle) at the meeting. Photo TITC
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister Doan Van Viet said that Vietnam has piloted welcoming international tourists since the end of November 2021 and has achieved positive results. In mid-February, the Vietnam Government agreed with the proposal of MOSCT for the time to fully open tourism from March 15, 2022.
However, Vietnam is facing difficulties in tourism infrastructure and human resources shortage due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Vietnam tourism is focusing on overcoming this situation and promoting Vietnam tourism's potential to tourists and the international business community.
Mr. Ted Osius (milddle) at the meeting. Photo TITC
Mr. Ted Osius, President and CEO of US-ABC, expressed his sharing with the difficulties of Vietnam tourism and affirmed that US-ABC member businesses will closely cooperate and support Vietnam in the process of economic recovery, including tourism.
At the meeting, the representative of Netflix highly appreciated the support and guidance from MOSCT to bring an international team to make a melodrama about tourism titled "A Tourist's Guide to Love". The first Netflix production was filmed entirely in Vietnam, using local actors and local services throughout Vietnam.
Netflix hopes that this film will widely promote the potential of Vietnam tourism, contributing to the recovery of domestic as well as international tourism. Netflix expressed its wish that Vietnam has a more open policy for foreign businesses to invest in filmmaking in Vietnam.
The Dow Company's representative proposed MOSCT to support the project of collecting and recycling old sports shoes as a construction material to replace rubber in sports facilities (such as running tracks) to solve environmental issues and promote the circular economy.
A representative of Novatis pharmaceutical group said that the group is focusing on investing in the production of advanced pharmaceutical products, improving health, and wishes to help Vietnamese people feel secure in domestic treatment, and move on to attract foreigners to treat in Vietnam.
Overview of meeting. Photo TITC
Wishing to support the process of opening up tourism in Vietnam, Visa Company is committed to sharing assessment reports, analyzing tourism trends as well as a database made by the company's experts.
Meanwhile, the representative of Agoda expected more favorable conditions for tourism businesses, especially the open visa policies, which can be competitive with other countries in the region, increase further strengthen in promoting the destination to international markets.
As a member of the US-ABC Travel and Tourism Commission, Expedia says that travelers will choose to go to countries that have simple immigration procedures, regulations, and medical quarantine. Therefore, in order to attract tourists in the context of high competition and many other countries opening at the same time, Vietnam should simplify procedures and promote information dissemination.
Expedia is willing to share statistical data on travel demand from customers from US, UK, Korea and Japan. The company has published a demand forecast report in 2022 in which guests have a great demand for new experiences and are willing to spend a lot on tourism. Vietnam is one of the preferred destinations for international tourists.
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