The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines hosted a conference in Italy on September 11 to promote Vietnam’s destinations and the country’s potential for tourism development.

Representatives from Vietnam Airlines introduced Italian travel agencies to preferential treatment that they will enjoy when organising tours to Vietnam on its flights from Europe.

Due to no direct air route between Vietnam and Italy by Vietnam Airlines, Italian tourists can fly to Vietnam from Milan or Rome via Paris or Frankfurt.

At the event, the airlines also presented interesting tourism sites in Vietnam such as Ha Long Bay, attractions in central cities of Da Nang and Nha Trang, Phan Thiet-Mui Ne, Hoi An Ancient Town, Con Dao as well as cities in Southeast Asia where the airline launched direct air routes to.

Statistics show that Vietnam welcomed over 50,000 Italian holiday makers in 2013, a year-on-year increase of 10 percent, proving that Vietnam is a promising market for Italy’s travel firms and an attractive destination for Italian tourists.

Vietnam Airlines plans to set up its agents in Italy to directly provide air tickets to local visitors.

The conference is part of the ongoing Vietnam Culture Week in Rome. The week was open with the launch of a photo exhibition on Vietnam by Italian photographer Paolo Belletti and will close on September 17 with a fashion show by Vietnamese designers.

The beauty of the UNESCO-recognised world natural heritage site Ha Long Bay was once again highlighted on Viaggi, a special page on tourism of Italy’s La Repubblica daily.

The page brought readers to the world heritage site through an article and a photo album on the heritage site taken from the air.

Ha Long Bay is well-known for visitors for a wide range of islets gathering in a 43,400 ha gulf area. Visitor will enjoy the aerial view of Ha Long Bay with seaplane flights, according to the paper.

This is the fifth time within a year Viaggi has introduced about Vietnam, with a special focus on Ha Long Bay, which attracts an increasing number of Italian arrivals.-VNA