Russian tourists come back to Vietnam in droves

Russian tourists are seen at a resort in Binh Thuan Province. Russian visitor arrivals to Vietnam have rebounded strongly after a period of decline sparked by the strong depreciation of the Russian rouble currency against the U.S. dollar - Photo: Dao Loan

Nearly 266,000 Russians visited Vietnam in the first eight months of the year, up a staggering 125% compared to the same period last year, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

The figure is expected to continue growing in the coming months when the Russian winter holiday season begins, Nguyen Quoc Hung, deputy general director of VNAT, said at a dialogue on tourism development and cooperation between Vietnam and the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU) countries held in HCMC last week.

Hung said the free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the EAEU, which comprises Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, is scheduled to take effect in October, bringing great opportunities for local tourism.

However, to attract tourists from Russia and other EAEU members, domestic tour operators should propose the Government simplify visa procedures for EAEU visitors, increase the visa-free stay, and adopt a foreign exchange regime based on policies of the Eurasian Customs Union (EACU).

Ta Bich Ha, director of the Russian National Tourist Office in Southeast Asia, credited the big return of Russian travelers to promotion activities of tourism authorities and firms since last year, including efforts from the Hanoi Tourism Department.

In March, Hanoi’s tourism sector joined VNAT and the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) in promoting Vietnam in Russia and teamed up with localities and firms to create specific tourism products to lure visitors from this market.

Hoang Huu Loc, chairman of Saigontourist Travel Service Co., said tourism promotion should be expanded to other former Soviet Union states as they also use the Russian language. Vietnam has adequate infrastructure and manpower to serve these markets as well, he said.

Although the potential is huge, these countries are totally new to Vietnam due to a lack of information. Loc urged VNAT to help local travel firms learn more about these markets.

In the opposite direction, Ha said the number of Vietnamese traveling to Russia has significantly soared. The weakening of the Russian rouble has made Russians reluctant to travel abroad but would encourage more Vietnamese to visit the country.

She told the Daily that the Russian Administration of Tourism (Rostourism) has proposed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs apply a visa waiver to groups of travelers on a bilateral basis with Vietnam.

At the dialogue, the Vietnam-Russia Tourism Club and the Vietnam-Russia Tourism Advisory Board were launched. The club has 22 members including international tour operators, hotels and tourism service providers. Meanwhile, the advisory board will be responsible for supporting the club’s activities.