Việt Nam last year welcomed 12.6 million tourists. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY - Continuing to expand visa exemption policies will be beneficial for the  development of tourism in Việt Nam, experts said.

Relevant authorities have urged the implementation of key tasks after the 2024 Lunar New Year holiday, which includes preparing proposals for visa exemption policies for citizens of select countries in line with new developments and bilateral cooperation.

According to Hoàng Nhân Chính, head of the Secretariat of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), Việt Nam’s tourism in 2023 has shown an impressive recovery, reaching a 70 per cent recovery rate.

Innovating visa policies is a general trend among countries in the region to attract tourists after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Continuing to expand visa exemption policies is expected to help diversify the tourism market, increase the number of international tourists to Việt Nam, extend their length of stay, and enhance the spending capacity of international tourists.

This, in turn, boosts revenue for localities with tourism destinations and creates more direct and indirect employment opportunities in tourism.

Additionally, this policy will increase the number of travellers by air, facilitate international trade exchanges, and attract more foreign investors to Việt Nam.

Chính added that in July 2023, TAB sent some research to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposing the expansion of the list of countries exempt from visas.

This proposal aligns with Immigration Laws, aiming to boost the development of the domestic tourism industry.

TAB proposed expanding visa exemption for 33 more countries unilaterally, including the remaining 20 European Union countries - Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia - as well as 13 other countries such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland, Israel, South Africa, Turkey, Brazil, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

The state should also consider four potential tourist markets, namely mainland China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, and India.

Open the door

Việt Nam’s major competitors such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore are actively trying to attract tourists from key markets and have created easy conditions for international visitors to enter their countries.

Starting from mid-August 2023, Việt Nam has been issuing electronic visas to citizens of all countries, extending temporary stay periods from 30 to 90 days, with unlimited entries and exits.

The policy of issuing electronic visas has made it much more convenient than before to attract tourists to Việt Nam.

Stringent or time-consuming visa requirements will reduce tourists' willingness to visit a country. Therefore, according to Chính, a better visa exemption policy will help expand the doors to welcome tourists.

This is a short-term solution to open doors to attract international markets alongside medium- and long-term solutions for the tourism sector's internal issues such as promotion, digital marketing, product diversity, destination management, and human resource development.

Last year Việt Nam welcomed 12.6 million tourists, achieving a 70 per cent recovery rate. This is a relatively high result compared to countries in the region.

This result was achieved thanks to the efforts of the entire industry, but primarily due to policies that facilitate tourism development as well as the careful attention and guidance of the Prime Minister.

Immediately after the Immigration Law amendment came into effect on August 15, 2023, Việt Nam’s tourism witnessed an increase in the number of international tourists compared to previous months.

According to calculations by the Tourism Advisory Board, in 2024, the tourism industry could achieve the goal of welcoming 17-18 million international tourists.

By June 2024, if the growth rate of international tourists to Việt Nam is good, new targets should be adjusted for the last six months of the year to give the tourism industry a greater opportunity to achieve new goals. - VNS