Tourists visit Sydney Opera House. VNA/VNS Photo

SYDNEY The number of Vietnamese tourists to Australia has grown significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 178,000 reported in the past 12 months to August 2024, according to an October 31 press release by the Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism’s Office.

Minister Don Farrell said that since launching “Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040,” a year ago, his country has been stepping up its efforts across Southeast Asia, and tourism with Vietnam is shaping up to be a huge success story.

Cooperation between the Australian and Vietnamese governments has delivered benefits for both countries, with Vietnam becoming Australia’s fastest-growing inbound market and more Australians travelling to Việt Nam than prior to the pandemic.

The Australian Government has provided funding for a number of initiatives designed to attract more visitors from Vietnam, including the Vietnam Host Programme, a new addition to the suite of online training courses delivered by the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC).

ATEC’s programmes, which are designed by leading industry professionals, help Australian businesses understand the needs of Vietnamese travellers and how to attract them.

ATEC’s Meeting Place conference on the Gold Coast, which took place earlier this week, is expected to continue building momentum with Southeast Asia, with expert panels and the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) briefings to highlight the growing opportunities for the region.

The government is supporting Australian businesses to embrace the enormous opportunities right on its doorstep, according to the press release.

"Boosting tourism between our nations was a key topic of discussion when I visited Việt Nam last year for our annual Economic Partnership Meeting, and again earlier this month when Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn and Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyễn Chí Dũng visited Australia.

"It is very encouraging to see strong growth in visitors from Vietnam to Australia, which is supporting Australian tourism businesses to succeed and grow,” affirmed Don Farrell. VNA/VNS