The highlight of the event was the announcement of a 15-day visa waiver program to citizens of England, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. Moreover, tourists of all nationalities visiting Phu Quoc Island will be granted a visa waiver of up to 30 days.
The policy took effect on July 1st 2015. As of now, Vietnam has applied its visa waiver program to over 22 countries, and may continue to expand the policy in the future.
"After the visa waiver policy for citizens of the five EU countries took effect in July, Vietnam’s tourism industry resumed its growth. The number of tourists also increased by 5% in the first 7 months of 2015" - Ngo Hoai Chung, Deputy/Vice Director, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
In addition, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is strengthening collaboration with related agencies, especially airlines and tourism companies to promote Vietnam tourism internationally.
During the first 9 months of this year, Vietnam welcomed nearly 7 million foreign tourists, reaching 80% of the year’s target. The tourism industry has set a target of receiving 10 million foreign tourists and 19 billion USD in revenue annually by 2020.
