Foreign tourists in Ben Thanh market in HCM City(Photo: VNA) The countries are Sweden, Denmark, Russia, the Republic of Korea, theUK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
Accordingly, people from the above-mentioned countries would nothave to apply for a visa if their stay in Vietnam does not exceed 30 days,instead of 15 days of the current policy.
The department said the Government should extend the policy forpeople from these countries so that they may stay a longer time in a moreconvenient and less expensive way.
[HCM City’s tourism association seeks visa exemptions extension]
Lastyear, about 5.2 million international tourists came to the city, an increase of10 percent compared to 2015.
During the last two years, the number of tourists from the UK,France, Germany, Italy and Spain increased by 14 percent each year, thanks inpart to the latest visa exemption policy.
The department said the visa exemption policy should be for fiveyears.
Travel expert Huynh Van Son said: "It will be hard for Vietnam’stourism growth to catch up with other countries in the region if the Governmentand relevant agencies do not seek solutions to improve standards and streamlineprocedures for visa requirements".
Research by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the WorldTravel and Tourism Council (WTTC) showed that based on the visa-free policy,the number of international tourists that come to ASEAN countries increased by3-5 percent per year, bringing significant economic benefits with them.
According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), Vietnam’s tourism ranked 22nd in termsof Price Competitiveness of 141countries, but 119th in terms of visarequirements.
Only visitors from 22 countries are granted visas exemptions in Vietnamwhile Indonesia is exempting visas for visitors from 169 countries andterritories, the Philippines 165, Singapore 158, Malaysia 155, Thailand 61,Laos 40 and Cambodia 25.
Earlier,the city’s Tourism Association urged the Government to extend the visa waiverfor tourists from the 12 countries and territories, including Australia, NewZealand, Germany, Switzerland, the UK, France, Spain, Brazil, India, Ukraine,Latvia and Estonia.-VNA
