Tourism industry targets Russia

Despite Russia not yet being included in the list of Viet Nam’s top 10 tourism markets, visitors from the East European country still create a promising market for Viet Nam’s tourism industry, says deputy head of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Manh Cuong.

With long stays and greater spending capacity than tourists from other countries, Russian visitors offered a huge potential market for the sector, he said, adding that it aimed to attract 350,000 Russian visitors by 2020, a three to four-fold increase on the current figure.

The industry would continue promoting the country as a tourist destination to Russian people, as well as conducting research on Russian tourism trends and foster co-operation between tourist agents from the two nations.

Building more tourism facilities, especially in central and southern-coastal provinces, was also a major consideration.

Increasing numbers of Russian visitors were choosing to spend their holidays in Viet Nam, said Andrey Sorokin, director in charge of the Chinese and Vietnamese markets for Capital Tour – the leading Russian agent for Viet Nam.

He forecast that the number of Russian visitors to Viet Nam would top 150,000 by 2015.

Most Russian tourists were interested in sites where they could enjoy hi-end entertainment services rather than discovering cultural and historical sites, said Doan Thi Thanh Tra from Saigontourist.

Areas such as Nha Trang, Phan Thiet and Phu Quoc were popular due to their high quality beaches, Tra said.

Russians accounted for the highest number of tourists visiting Mui Ne in Binh Thuan Province, said the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism director Lam Quang Hien.

In September alone, 62,600 tourists visited Binh Thuan accounting for one-third of the province’s total figure. Hien predicted that Russian tourists to Viet Nam would continue to increase by the end of the year as they escaped from the harsh Russian winter.

Viet Nam offers visa exemptions to Russians since January 2009, which has contributed to attracting a larger amount of tourists to Viet Nam. Russians with ordinary passports enjoy 15-day visa exemptions in Viet Nam.

Several tourism promotional activities have been carried out in Russia such as a road show in Moscow and St Petersburg. Vietnamese companies have signed agreements with Russian partners who are highly knowledgeable about Viet Nam and have good Vietnamese to invest in tourism services.

In addition, they have participated in tourism fairs in many locations throughout Russia.

In the near future, Vlad-ivostok Air will begin offering flights from Khabarovsk and Vladivostok to Cam Ranh Airport in Khanh Hoa Province. — VNS

Tags: Vietnam tourism industry