Vietnam expects more ASEAN tourists

by VTV429 September 2015 Last updated at 17:35 PM

VTV.vn - The ASEAN community will be formed on the final day of this year.

Efforts have been taken to bolster the relationship between community members and cross-border travel has followed. Vietnam now ranks fifth in the ASEAN region in terms of visits.

In 2014, 1.5 million tourists from the ASEAN region visited Vietnam, among the total of 7.9 million arrivals from all over the world. Halong, Yen Tu and Yen Bai attract most of the tourists. Tourists from Thailand and Laos usually visit beaches. And Cambodian tourists have high demand for shopping and medical treatment in Vietnam.

ASEAN is a potential market for Vietnamese tourism. Total arrivals from the community rank third after China and northeast Asia countries. Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore have travel agencies in Vietnam. However, Vietnam has yet to develop travel agencies abroad.

"Vietnam has the facilities to cater for tourists. Our landscapes are great. But we lack variety when it comes to food, and can’t really cater for halal or kosher", said Trinh Thi My Nghe, Vice Director, International Travel Company.

Tour prices are another reason hindering tourists from the ASEAN bloc. Pricing is a hot issue for Vietnam tourism. Inbound tours are much more expensive than outbound. For example, it costs 300 USD to travel to Thailand, while 400 UDS to travel from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. So if travel agency can adjust the price themselves, tourism will be much better.

In 2014, Vietnamese tourists to Laos, Cambodia and Thailand doubled the total arrivals from these countries to Vietnam. Experts say if Vietnam improves services and prices, Vietnam tourism could reach 2 million arrivals from the ASEAN region.

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