(TITC) - On 18th June 2024 (Local time), on the sidelines of the Australia-Vietnam Travel Symposium in Melbourne, Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, Chairman of Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) had bilateral meetings on tourism cooperation with Australian tourism management agencies and tourism organisations and businesses including Tourism Australia, Visit Victoria, Queensland Tourism and Events Authority, Melbourne Airport, Discova Company (DMC), Australian Attractions Pty Ltd, Intrepid Travel.

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh meeting Tourism Australia (Photo: VNAT)

At the meeting with Tourism Australia, Visit Victoria, and Queensland Tourism and Events Authority, the two sides agreed to promote cooperation in tourism development and increase tourist exchange, which is expected to continue to organise the Australia-Vietnam Travel Symposium in 2025. This is an excellent opportunity for the two sides to share experiences in state management of tourism, market promotion plans, and introduce new attractive tourism products…

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh said, at the bilateral meetings with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and Tourism Australia, Vietnam has proposed that Australia consider easing visa application procedures and reducing visa approval time for Vietnamese tourists to encourage them travelling to Australia.

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh meeting Visit Victoria (Photo: VNAT)

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh hopes that the two sides will jointly support the organisation of tourism promotion activities. “It is expected that in September 2024, Vietnam will organise a programme to promote Vietnamese tourism in Australia, we hope to receive support from Australian tourism management agencies so that the event can be held successfully, thereby promoting tourism development and enhancing two-way exchange of visitors”, proposed VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh.

Welcoming the proposals of VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh, Mr. Andrew Hogg, Executive General Manager of Eastern Markets and Aviation, Tourism Australia said, every year, the Australian tourism industry always focuses on investing in the activities of tourism representative offices, promotion activities, and tourism promotion… Vietnam is always an important market that Australia is interested in investing in. In addition, Australia has also cooperated with Vietnam Airlines to promote flight route expansion. Tourism Australia hopes that in the coming time, the good tourism cooperation between the two sides will continue to be strengthened and further developed.

Mr. Nigel Aldons, Head of Global Markets & Commercial at Visit Victoria affirmed his readiness to support and coordinate with Vietnam's tourism industry to strengthen promotion, advertising activities, roadshow, B2B meetings, and will promote connection between businesses and media on both sides.

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh meeting Melbourne Airport Representative (Photo: VNAT)

Representative from Melbourne Airport, Mr. Peppy Adi-Purnomo - Vice President of Airline Business Development, South and SouthEast Asia, said, Australia and Vietnam should form a partner network to jointly promote tourism and promote more destinations in the future.

Representative from Australian Attractions Pty Ltd, Mr. Simon Williamson, Director of Sales & Marketing said, the company is a familiar partner of Tourism Australia, and is currently building a working programme for Tourism Australia staff and Australian businesses to come to work and promote Australian tourism in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City in September 2024. The company hopes to receive support from VNAT to promote the effectiveness of Vietnam-Australia business connections on this occasion. According to the plan, in 2025 the company will organise a fam trip group for Australian outbound businesses to visit and inspect Vietnamese tourism products to promote Australian tourists to Vietnam.

Mr. Rhydian James, Chief Commercial Officer of Discova, said, Vietnam is the company's second largest international market. The company has 3 representative offices in Ha Noi, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City. Recently, the company has cooperated with many Vietnamese destinations and businesses to develop new tourism products suitable to the tastes of Australian tourists. In the coming time, Discova hopes to grab many opportunities to cooperate and connect with Vietnamese tourism businesses, promoting two-way tourism.

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh meeting Intrepid Travel (Photo: VNAT)

Glad to see Australian tourism and aviation businesses are so supportive and actively participating in the Australia-Vietnam Travel Symposium, VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh hopes that there will be opportunities to promote business cooperation between the two sides. With tourism promotion activities organised by Australian businesses in Vietnam, VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh affirmed that Vietnam tourism will always support Australian businesses, and welcomes Australian businesses to organise fam trip delegations to inspect Vietnam tourism, thereby promoting Vietnam tourism closer to the people in Australia.

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh meeting Queensland Tourism and Events Authority (Photo: VNAT)

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh meeting Australian Attractions Pty Ltd (Photo: VNAT)

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh meeting Intrepid Travel (Photo: VNAT)

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh meeting Discova (Photo: VNAT)

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh meeting Melbourne Airport Representative (Photo: VNAT)

In 2023, Vietnam welcomed 390 thousand Australian visitor arrivals, exceeding the level before the 2019 pandemic and putting Australia in the top 10 source markets of Vietnam. 2024 is also seeing a continued growth trend of Australian visitors to Vietnam: In the first 5 months of the year, there were 213 thousand Australian visitor arrivals to Vietnam, an increase of 35% over the same period last year, bringing Australia to the 7th largest source market to Vietnam.