Hanoi holds tourism connecting event targeting Australian partners hinh anh 1A foreign visitor pictures Hanoi's children near Hoan Kiem Lake (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – A tourism business matching event took place in Hanoi on August 23, gathering 32 Australian firms and 150 representatives from Vietnam’s state management agencies and travel companies.

It was hosted by the capital’s Department of Tourism to collect feedback from Australian businesses and enable participating firms to network and form partnerships.

Earlier, from August 19 to 23, the department in collaboration with the Vietnam Airlines organised a fact-finding trip for the Australian guests to tourist destinations in Hanoi and Quang Ninh province.

In Hanoi, they toured the Ba Vi national park, Duong Lam ancient village, Tay Phuong pagoda, Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, and One Pillar pagoda, among others. The group also experienced the Quintessence of Tonkin show, tried local food around the Hanoi Old Quarter, and enjoyed a performance at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre.

In the northwestern province of Quang Ninh, they visited the UNESCO-recognised World Natural Heritage Site Ha Long Bay and the provincial museum.

According to Director of the municipal Tourism Department Tran Duc Hai, the capital city welcomed visitors from more than 190 countries and territories, with the local tourism growing about 19 percent a year during 2015 – 2018.

For years, Australia has been among the top 10 tourist markets of Hanoi. In the first seven months of 2019, foreign arrivals to the city hit 3.73 million, of which 109,000 were from Australia.-VNA
VNA