Thanh Hoa (VNA) – The People’s Committee of Thanh Hoa province on October 2 hosted a conference to promote the Thai tourist market, with an aim of attracting more visitors from Thailand to Vietnam's north-central locality.
The event brought together more than 40 Thai travel companies and media outlets, along with Vietnamese tour operators specialising in international visitors nationwide. Delegates surveyed local products and routes to explore opportunities for tour linkages and tourism promotion.
Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dau Thanh Tung stressed the traditional friendship and cultural ties between Vietnam and Thailand, noting that tourism is a vital bridge for people-to-people exchange and socio-economic cooperation. Similarities in culture, cuisine and beliefs help enhance mutual appeal, while differences in landscapes and tourism products create complementary strengths. Strengthening tourism linkages to boost two-way travel and attract more international visitors remains a top priority in both countries’ strategies, he said.
Thailand has been identified as one of Thanh Hoa’s key markets. In recent years, the province has regularly welcomed Thai travel firms and media delegations for product surveys and networking, resulting in tour operators in northeastern Thailand designing and promoting tours to Thanh Hoa, contributing to international arrivals and revenue growth.
Participants at the conference proposed stronger bilateral promotion, closer ties with Thai companies, and joint cultural, culinary and art exchange events to raise Thanh Hoa’s profile as a distinctive destination.
On this occasion, the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched a series of tourism promotion activities, including a Thai farm trip (September 26–October 3), a seminar on tourism development (October 2), Lao art performances within the framework of Lao Culture Week in Vietnam (October 4–6), and the Thanh Hoa Culinary Culture Festival (October 2–5).
Tung urged agencies to work with Thai partners on concrete cooperation programmes, focusing on product promotion, communications in the Thai market and the development of distinctive, competitive tour packages. The goal, he said, is to make Thanh Hoa a familiar stop for Thai travellers while attracting more international visitors under the principle of “harmonious benefits, shared risks, joint development and mutual success”.
In 2024, Thanh Hoa welcomed nearly 3,000 Thai visitors, up 5.4% year-on-year, accounting for 0.4% of its total international arrivals. In the first nine months of 2025, the figure reached around 1,900, an increase of 11.8% from the same period last year./.
