Young overseas Vietnamese pose for a group photo when visiting Hue city in late July during the Vietnam Summer Camp 2023. (Photo: VNA) Ambassador Ngo Huong Nam, Vice Chairman of the State Committeefor OV Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said OVs have become animportant resource contributing to tourism development over the past years.
Since 2009, about 700,000 - 1 million OVs have returned to thehomeland each year, equivalent to the number of visitors from Japan – the thirdlargest source of foreign tourists to Vietnam. Therefore, the more than 5.3million OVs form a highly potential market for the domestic tourism sector, he noted.
The official cited the Vietnam Summer Camp, which has been heldfor young OVs for 20 years, as an example, suggesting similar programmes be organisedto draw OV visitors.
Notingthe great demand and potential of the OV tourist market, the Vietnam National Authorityof Tourism said OVs can contribute to the domestic tourism sector by returningto visit their relatives, learn about traditions, and explore investment opportunities.
Domestic businesses are also implementing many creative ideas toattract OV travellers, it added.
At the workshop, OV representatives talked about how to bring intoplay Vietnamese expatriates’ role in drawing tourists to the country, thedemand of OVs in the US and Europe to go back to the homeland to spend theirholidays, and some countries’ experience in this regard.
Sometravel companies highlighted the prospect of tourism combined with familyvisit and investment chance exploration, as well as medical tourism for OVs.
Meanwhile, officials of Dien Bien and Phu Tho provincespresented their localities’ tourism potential and incentives for OV visitors.
On this occasion, the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism andthe State Committee for OV Affairs signed a cooperation deal to attract OV resourcesfor tourism development./.
VNA
