VNAT General Director Nguyễn Trùng Khánh speaks at the programme. — VNA/VNS Photo

PARIS — A tourism promotion programme was held by the Việt Nam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) and the Vietnamese Embassy in France on June 25 as part of the activities to promote Vietnamese tourism in Europe.

The Việt Nam Tourism Roadshow attracted a large number of representatives from travel agencies, tourism associations, hotels, airlines, and the media from both France and Việt Nam.

Addressing the event, VNAT General Director Nguyễn Trùng Khánh said for more than five decades since France and Việt Nam established diplomatic relations, the two countries have become special partners.

In the context of integration, the two sides have significant potential to complement each other in cooperation and development, especially in the field of tourism, he noted, highlighting the potential and advantages for Việt Nam to further develop unique and novel tourism products, especially cultural and historical tourism, eco-tourism, and sea and island tourism.

Many destinations and products have been ranked among the world's best by reputable travel advisory websites such as the World Travel Awards, TripAdvisor, Telegraph, and major media outlets in the world, he said.

According to Khánh, France is one of the traditional and major markets of Việt Nam in Europe. Nearly 216,000 French tourists visited Việt Nam last year, 75 per cent of the pre-COVID-19 period, making it the second-largest market of Việt Nam in the European Union (EU).

Over the recent years, the two countries’ tourism sectors have engaged in many cooperative activities to facilitate tourism exchange.

Vietnam Airlines and Air France have operated direct flights connecting major cities and tourist hubs of the two countries. The Vietnamese tourism sector has actively conducted tourism promotion activities in France to further boost tourism exchange. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese government has waived visas for French visitors since 2015 and extended the temporary stay for French travelers to 45 days starting from August 15, 2023.

Convenient direct flights, simple entry and exit procedures, attractive destinations and products, and the hospitality of the people are ideal conditions to promote tourism cooperation between the two countries, Khánh said.

The event offers a good chance for Vietnamese and French travel firms to update information and discuss ways to expand business cooperation in the time to come, he added.

Ambassador Đinh Toàn Thắng said the event helps promote the image of Vietnamese tourism, thus strengthening the France – Việt Nam relations.

Room remains large for the two sides to intensify their tourism bond, the diplomat said, expressing his belief that the bilateral cooperation in this field will become stronger in the coming years.

In the framework of the programme, many activities for connecting and establishing business partnerships between Vietnamese and French travel agencies were arranged. — VNS