Vietnam, Australia promote trade, tourism exchange

Vietnamese Consul General in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland Nguyen Dang Thang addresses the event (Photo: VNA)

Sydney (VNA) – AVietnam-Australia trade and tourism promotion conference was held by VietnamAirlines, Thien Minh Group and Vinpearl JSC in Sydney on April 19, drawing alarge number of Australian businesses and travel firms from different Australianlocalities.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese ConsulGeneral in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland Nguyen Dang Thangsaid that right after Vietnam and Australia reopened their doors one year ago,the number of tourists travelling the two countries has continuously increased.

Statistics from the General StatisticsOffice of Vietnam showed that Vietnam welcomed 3.66 million foreign visitors in2022 and 3 million in the first quarter of this year, of whom 85% arrived byair.

According to Australian Bureau ofStatistics (ABS), Vietnam is among the top 10 favourite destinations for Australiantourists.

Currently, Vietnam Airlines is operating directair routes to the majority of the other nine destinations like the UK, India,the US, and Indonesia, he noted.

UNESCO-recognised Ha Long Bay (Photo: VNA)

Speaking to Vietnam News Agency, Nguyen HuuTung, chief representative of Vietnam Airlines in Australia, said that theairlines is operating 16 flights between Vietnam and Australia each week.Particularly, the Hanoi-Melbourne route will be officially launched from June 15 withtwo flights per week, making it easier for Australian visitors to explore northerntourist destinations of Vietnam and transit to other countries such as Germany,France, the UK, the Republic of Korea, and Japan.

Participants at the event agreed thatVietnam has great tourism potential and is a good choice for Australian tourists.

Many Australian travel firms said thatAustralian tourists are increasingly interested in Vietnam and tend to choosethe Southeast Asian country for their future vacations.

Yvonne Chapple from Flight Centre said thatthe firm has received many requests from its customers for Vietnamese tourisminformation, especially destinations in the north.

Chapple held that although Thailand andBali (Indonesia) have received the largest bookings, Vietnam has still beenamong the top five most popular Asia destinations chosen by Australian visitors./.

VNA