New Visa Policy Helps Tourism Sector Thrive

An open and long-term visa policy will improve competitiveness, make Vietnam more attractive in the eyes of international tourists, and help tourism sector develop.
August 04, 2023 | 20:18
New Visa Policy Helps Tourism Sector Thrive
International tourists at Da Nang international airport. Photo: VGP

More time for visitors

From August 15, the new visa policy allows visitors from some countries to be exempted from visa from 15 days to 45 days, and to extend the electronic visa (e-visa) from 30 days to 90 days, with multiple entries. This is good news for the tourism industry in attracting international tourists.

Ho Thanh Tu, general secretary of the Da Nang Tourism Association, said that since the tourism market reopened, the city implemented many tourism promotion activities. They attracted a large number of international visitors in the key markets of Japan, the RoK, and Southeast Asia.

However, with the visa extension of up to 90 days, Vietnam has many opportunities to attract tourists to stay and increase their spending. The visa extension will create conditions for visitors to have more time to experience local services.

According to Nguyen Duc Quynh, general director of Furama Resort Da Nang, by extending the entry visa to 90 days, Vietnam will have a new market share of resort guests.

The new visa policy will help increase the amount of time guests stay in Vietnam.

"Along with the extension of entry visas for international tourists, we also expect to build and develop a number of longer-term tourism products, such as cooperating with medical, beauty, and health care centers, combining with resort packages to meet the requirements of long-term guests," Nguyen Duc Quynh said.

Quynh added that recently, some localities in the Central region received the first charter flight from China and will soon have more direct flights from India. This is a positive signal for the tourism industry in the Central region as well as the whole country.

New Visa Policy Helps Tourism Sector Thrive
The new visa policy is an opportunity for visitors to stay longer. Photo: VGP

Expanding the number of countries and territories enjoying the visa term

Steven Wolstenholme, president and general director of Hoianna Resort & Golf, affirmed that this is a great policy for tourism businesses. The extension of the e-visa validity to 90 days will give international tourists more time and opportunities to visit and experience services in Vietnam.

He suggested that Vietnam should consider expanding the number of countries and territories that can enjoy this visa period, which will create even more favorable conditions for international tourists to come to Vietnam.

An open and long-term visa policy will improve competitiveness, make Vietnam more attractive in the eyes of international tourists, and be a lever for tourism development.

According to the Chairman of the Da Nang Tourism Association Cao Tri Dung, the Government's application of a new visa policy will contribute to improving destination competition for some countries in the region.

It creates better conditions for businesses in attracting visitors as well as international visitors to Vietnam and Da Nang particularly, especially in markets where guests have long-term stays such as Western Europe, North America, and Australia.

Cao Tri Dung also said that with the new visa policy, visitors to Vietnam can easily apply for an electronic visa in a short time. This helps attract a variety of nationalities to Vietnam. This is a huge step forward, in line with the current trend of changing customer structure, with solo travelers increasing dramatically.

According to the trend of digital commerce, customers traveling alone and with families will account for the majority. Guests will actively apply for visas through online platforms.

The increase of the e-visa to 90 days makes sense for customers who want to work and invest, without having to spend too much time traveling like before.

"This can be considered an effective solution in the policy of applying for an entry visa, a huge step forward for the tourism industry in general," said the Chairman of the Da Nang Tourism Association.

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