
HCM City – Travel firms in Ho Chi Minh
City have launched tours between Vietnam and China as soon as China decided to
include Vietnam in the list of countries to which Chinese group tours can be
conducted from March 15.
According to the city’s businesses, more Chinese tourist
groups will arrive in the city this month and April will be the peak time marking the return of Chinese tourists to Vietnam.
On the contrary, the number of Vietnamese tourists booking tours
to China will also increase, helping to stimulate demand in the
tourism markets of the two countries in the coming time.
The forecast is based on the huge tourism demand of Chinese
tourists after about three years of disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic and
Vietnam being one of the Chinese tourists’ favourite destinations.
In addition, Vietnamese businesses have developed high-quality
and oriented products and services for specific tourist segments.
Accompanying the business
community, the city’s Department of Tourism has just coordinated with the
Zhangjiajie city People’s Committee in China’s Hunan province and the Vietnam
Global International Travel Group Joint Stock Company to organise a tourism
promotion conference in Zhangjiajie city.
Wang Tao, Vice Chairman of the Zhangjiajie City People’s
Committee, said that tourism promotion activities are important at this time.
Zhangjiajie city is home to a world natural heritage, a
world geopark, a national park, ancient cultural works, and modern
architecture that attract tourists in recent times.
Zhangjiajie city’s government hopes that tourism and
cultural promotion events will promote the exchange of tourist delegations between
Vietnam and China, thereby restoring the “smokeless industries” of both countries.
Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu, Deputy Director of the HCM City Department of
Tourism, emphasised that China is one of the key markets for the city’s tourism industry.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, China ranked third among the sources of international
visitors to HCM City, with 1.2 million arrivals in 2019, accounting for
20% of the total number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam.
Particularly, in the first three months of 2023, the number of Chinese tourists
to HCM City reached about 49,000.
Meanwhile, following China’s decision to reopen tourism, the
Consulate General of China in HCM City started accepting tourist
visa applications for both group and individual tourists.
Travelers to China are required to show a certificate of two
doses of COVID-19 vaccine and rapid testing before departure.
Currently, international travelers to Zhangjiajie city are still
required to take COVID-19 rapid tests. Upon entering China, international
travelers continue to be randomly selected for rapid testing. Some travel
companies have suggested Chinese agencies soon remove barriers related to
COVID-19 rapid testing and creating favourable conditions in terms of visa policy so that
foreign tourists conveniently travel to the country.
Vietnam received 1.8 million foreign tourist arrivals in the first
two months of 2023. With China now resuming outbound tours, the country is
expected to exceed the target of welcoming 8 million foreign travelers this
year./.