HÀ NỘI — The national carrier Vietnam Airlines and the People’s Committee of central Khánh Hòa Province signed a deal to promote investment, trade and tourism and strengthen the image of the two sides on Wednesday.

Under the agreement, Vietnam Airlines will study increasing the frequency of flights and open new domestic and international routes to Khánh Hòa Province. The firm will also offer preferential fares to local tourism and investment promotion delegations and help the province promote tourism at international fairs for the next three years.

Meanwhile, Khánh Hòa Province will support Vietnam Airlines’ new routes, while enhancing the capacity of Cam Ranh airport. The airline has also been recognised as the official carrier of major events in the province.

The two sides also agreed to co-operate to support media delegations travelling to and from Europe and North East Asia to explore the potential of tourism in the province and to introduce Khánh Hòa to these markets.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Chairman of provincial People’s Committee Lê Đức Vinh said the agreement was expected to help the province have more international flights to and from Cam Ranh International Airport, from European and Asian markets and spread the tourism brand name Nha Trang - Khánh Hòa globally.

Dương Trí Thành, general director of Vietnam Airlines, said the agreement marked a new step between the two sides, which would make co-operation more effective.

“Vietnam Airlines commits to Khánh Hòa Province to perform effectively as a national airline, alongside the province to promote the tourism potential of Khánh Hòa," said Thành.

Currently, Vietnam Airlines and its subsidiary Jetstar Pacific operate four routes connecting Khánh Hòa with cities including Hà Nội, HCM City, Đà Nẵng and Vinh with frequency of 100 flights per week. In the first nine months of this year, the number of passengers to Khánh Hòa on Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar Pacific flights increased by 9 per cent compared with the same period last year, reaching over 1.3 million passengers, accounting for 62 per cent of total domestic arrivals to the province by air. — VNS