Better visa procedures could bolster tourist arrivals

Over the past 10 years, Vietnam has waived visa for tourists from 16 countries. The visa exemption policies have proved to be effective, with visitors from the beneficiary countries increasing.

The number of Japanese and Korean visitors to Vietnam has increased to 650,000 last year following a decade of visa waivers. Meanwhile, Russian tourists to Vietnam have risen to nearly 365,000 arrivals last year, reaching the average growth rate of 50% per year. However, expert said that Vietnam can hardly boost the figures as there have yet been practical measures to exploit the potential tourist markets.

Thailand by contrast has exempted visas for visitors from 61 countries and seems to have benefited, with 24.8 million arrivals in 2014. Malaysia has also waived visas for tourists from 155 nations and welcomed 27.4 million arrivals of foreign travellers last year, underlining how visa exemptions play are one element in a country’s attractiveness to tourists.