Travel firms in Ho Chi Minh City have launched tours between Vietnam and China as soon as China decided to include Vietnam in the list of countries to which Chinese group tours can be conducted from March 15.
Foreign tourists visit Ho Chi Minh City's Post Office. (Photo: VNA)
According to the city’s businesses, more Chinese tourist groups will arrive in the city this month and April will be the peak time marking the return of Chinese tourists to Vietnam.
On the contrary, the number of Vietnamese tourists booking tours to China will also increase, helping to stimulate demand in the tourism markets of the two countries in the coming time.
The forecast is based on the huge tourism demand of Chinese tourists after about three years of disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Vietnam being one of the Chinese tourists’ favourite destinations.
In addition, Vietnamese businesses have developed high-quality and oriented products and services for specific tourist segments.
Accompanying the business community, the city’s Department of Tourism has just coordinated with the Zhangjiajie city People's Committee in China’s Hunan province and the Vietnam Global International Travel Group Joint Stock Company to organise a tourism promotion conference in Zhangjiajie city.
Wang Tao, Vice Chairman of the Zhangjiajie City People’s Committee, said that tourism promotion activities are important at this time.
Zhangjiajie city is home to a world natural heritage, a world geopark, a national park, ancient cultural works, and modern architecture that attract tourists in recent times.
Zhangjiajie city's government hopes that tourism and cultural promotion events will promote the exchange of tourist delegations between Vietnam and China, thereby restoring the "smokeless industries" of both countries.
Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu, Deputy Director of the HCM City Department of Tourism, emphasised that China is one of the key markets for the city's tourism industry. Before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, China ranked third among the sources of international visitors to HCM City, with 1.2 million arrivals in 2019, accounting for 20% of the total number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam.
Particularly, in the first three months of 2023, the number of Chinese tourists to HCM City reached about 49,000.
Meanwhile, following China’s decision to reopen tourism, the Consulate General of China in HCM City started accepting tourist visa applications for both group and individual tourists.
Travelers to China are required to show a certificate of two doses of COVID-19 vaccine and rapid testing before departure.
Currently, international travelers to Zhangjiajie city are still required to take COVID-19 rapid tests. Upon entering China, international travelers continue to be randomly selected for rapid testing. Some travel companies have suggested Chinese agencies soon remove barriers related to COVID-19 rapid testing and creating favourable conditions in terms of visa policy so that foreign tourists conveniently travel to the country.
Vietnam received 1.8 million foreign tourist arrivals in the first two months of 2023. With China now resuming outbound tours, the country is expected to exceed the target of welcoming 8 million foreign travelers this year.
