Great room for tourism cooperation development between Canada and Vietnam

The Vietnamese Government has identified tourism as one of the country's key economic sectors and tourism development is a strategic orientation in the socio -economic development. According to the General Statistics Office, in the first quarter of 2023, international visitors to Vietnam are estimated to reach 2.7 million, 29.7 times higher than the same period in 2022. However, the number of Canadian visitors to Vietnam is still small, not commensurate with the potential for tourism cooperation between the two countries.

To develop tourism and attract Canadian tourists to Vietnam , the tourism industries of the two countries have had many plans and cooperation activities through organizing tourism forums and participating in tourism fairs and exhibitions held in each country.

Vietnam is one of the countries actively participating in fairs in Canada. Coming to the fair are mostly potential tourists who are preparing for their trips, exploring new destinations and seeking advice from experts about future vacations. Vietnam is considered an ideal tourist destination for tourists who love the romantic, peaceful beauty of long stretches of fine white sand, love the winding roads, the picturesque terraced fields, etc.

Vietnam tourism attracts foreign visitors. Photo from internet

Ms. Manon Ferlatte, a consultant in the tourism industry, assessed that Vietnam's tourism activities are well organized and affirmed that Vietnam is a great place to travel.

The 30th Montreal International Travel and Tourism Fair, taking place from October 19-21 in Montreal, attracted the attention of visitors with thousands of interesting destinations in North America, South America, Europe, the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, along with many diverse tourism products. More than 400 units from about 100 countries participated in the Montreal International Travel and Tourism Fair 2018.

Referring to Vietnam, visitors attending the annual Montreal International Travel and Tourism Fair in Canada, assessed this as a dynamic, modern and wonderfully beautiful country, a country undergoing changes but still retaining its traditional features. The Montreal International Travel and Tourism Fair affirmed that visitors to Vietnam will be delighted and surprised by the geological and archaeological wonders and the beauty of the people here.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Canada has booths displaying Vietnamese products when participating in the Montreal International Travel and Tourism Fair. The publications displayed at the Vietnamese booth introduced the beauty, potential and strengths of Vietnamese tourism. These include more than 20 tangible and intangible cultural heritages of the world recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), thousands of kilometers of beautiful coastline, unique culinary traditions, etc. The Vietnamese booth at the Montreal International Travel and Tourism Fair has contributed to enhancing the understanding of Canadian visitors about Vietnamese culture, opening up many opportunities to enhance people-to-people exchanges and develop tourism between the two countries.

Canadian tourists visit the exhibition booth of the Vietnamese Embassy. (Photo: Quang Thinh/VNA)

Mr. Ibrahima Dabo, Deputy Director of Hanh Travel Company, said that his company organizes tours from Canada to Vietnam. Many Canadians want to travel to Vietnam. He rated Vietnam as the most wonderful country in Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, Mr. Le Van Len, General Director of Lac Viet Trading and Travel Joint Stock Company, shared that by participating in this fair, Lac Viet Company hopes to promote more widely to the North American market, a very potential market for Vietnam. The company wants to promote the image of Vietnam to tourists and Canadian people.

Experts say that the markets of Canada and Vietnam have great potential for businesses to cooperate in investing in tourism development, especially in the context that there are currently about 250,000 Vietnamese people living, working and studying in Canada. In addition, tourism development is also an important opportunity to help businesses connect, as Vietnam is currently Canada's largest trading partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)./.

Quynh Lien