Deputy PM meets UNWTO leader, co-chairs Vietnam-Spain business seminar

Madrid (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minsiter Tran Luu Quang met with Executive Director of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Zoritsa Urosevic and co-chaired a Vietnam - Spain business seminar in Madrid on March 2, part of his official visit to the European country.

Urosevic highly valued the close cooperation between the UNWTO and Vietnam, saying she is impressed with the country’s achievements in the COVID-19 fight, dynamic socio-economic development, and sustainable tourism over the past years. She also mentioned international tourism organisations’ positive assessments of Vietnam, a favourite destination of global travellers.

Deputy PM Quang appreciated the Executive Director’s support for the UNWTO’s cooperation with and assistance for Vietnam’s tourism sector, especially in tourism planning, product development, legal document making, and capacity building.

He called on the UNWTO to step up cooperation with Vietnam; choose the country as the venue for some events of the organisation; provide technical assistance in digital transformation and IT application to smart tourism ecosystem building, statistical work, climate change response, and development of the national tourism brand; and help with training tourism manpower through granting scholarships and sending experts to share experience at conferences and workshops held by Vietnam.

Urosevic applauded Vietnam’s active and responsible participation in the UNWTO and perceived that the country boasts huge potential for developing tourism.

The UNWTO will consider the organisation of a big international event in Vietnam in late 2023, she went on, adding that it will continue supporting and assisting the country in tourism recovery and development.

Earlier on the same day, Quang received the Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Seville, Pablo Rafael Gomez.

He also joined Spanish Minister of Industry, Trade, and Tourism Maria Reyes Maroto in chairing the Vietnam-Spain business seminar. The event, held by the ministry and the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE), attracted the participation of nearly 50 large firms of Spain and more than 20 Vietnamese enterprises.

Addressing the opening ceremony, the two chairs reiterated positive prospects in the nation’s bilateral relations, especially in the fields of economy, investment and trade thanks to the stable and dynamic economic development in each country as well as their position and role in their regions. These are the pillar and driving force for the ties to reach to a new height, they affirmed.

Quang unveiled that a leading airline group in Vietnam is considering opening a direct flight to Spain.

President of CEOE International Marta Blanco and Director General of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce Inmaculada Riera said Spanish businesses are highly interested in the Vietnamese market in particular and ASEAN market in general, considering them destinations for market diversification in their business strategies.

The seminar was rounded off with a networking event.

Spain is the 8th largest trading partner of Vietnam in the EU. In 2022, two-way trade reached 3.54 billion USD, up 13% year-on-year, the highest ever to date./.