Promoting Vietnamese tourism in Switzerland

Continuing the series of promotional activities in Europe, on the evening of May 8 (local time), in Geneva, Switzerland, the Vietnam Tourism Introduction Program took place, chaired by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, in coordination with the Tourism Development Support Fund (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), Hue City People's Committee, a number of local management agencies, national airlines Vietnam Airlines, Saigontourist, travel agencies, and tourist accommodation businesses.

The program was attended by Mr. Phung The Long, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to Switzerland; Mr. Mai Phan Dung, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and other international organizations in Geneva; Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Permanent Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hue City, along with the Departments of Tourism of Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang and many representatives of tourism businesses, travel agencies and media agencies of the two countries.

Vietnam - ideal destination for Swiss tourists

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh emphasized: The event is a vivid demonstration of the interest, commitment and joint efforts in enhancing tourism development cooperation between Vietnam and Switzerland - two countries with a long-standing friendship and great potential for mutual support. In the context of the two countries celebrating the 54th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations (1971 - 2025) and the bilateral relationship having just been upgraded to the level of "Comprehensive Partnership" in January 2025, this is a historic milestone, creating favorable conditions to expand and deepen cooperation in the field of tourism - which is an effective bridge between the people of the two countries, promoting understanding, empathy and attachment.

Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh believes that with the suitability of market characteristics and product strengths, Vietnamese tourism has full potential to become a favorite destination for Swiss tourists.

The Director said that in the picture of Vietnam - Switzerland cooperation, tourism is a bright spot. Swiss tourists are always known as nature lovers, highly conscious of environmental protection, interested in local culture, and enjoy deep and valuable experiences. This is a characteristic that is very suitable for the strengths of Vietnam tourism - a destination rich in identity, ecological diversity, friendly and increasingly professional.

The current tourism trend in Switzerland emphasizes sustainability, authentic experiences, and responsible tourism towards the environment and local communities. This is also the direction that Vietnamese tourism is pursuing, creating many opportunities for cooperation, product development, and expansion of bilateral markets.

Director Nguyen Trung Khanh believes that with the appropriate market characteristics and product strengths, Vietnamese tourism has full potential to become a favorite destination for Swiss tourists on their journey to explore the world, contributing to further promoting the good relationship between the two countries.

Visa exemption creates great motivation to attract Swiss tourists to Vietnam

Overview of Vietnam tourism

One of the key contents that attracted great attention at the program was the introduction of Vietnam's new visa policy, creating more favorable conditions than ever for Swiss tourists. Specifically, according to the regulations effective from March 1 to December 31, 2025, Swiss citizens entering Vietnam under the tourism program of Vietnamese international travel agencies will be exempted from visas for up to 45 days - This is an important step to attract more tourists from this market. At the same time, the Vietnamese tourism industry is actively proposing that in the near future, Swiss citizens can travel to Vietnam on their own without a visa, meeting the flexible travel trend of international tourists.

In 2024, Vietnam will welcome more than 33,600 Swiss visitors, a sharp increase compared to 28,000 in 2023 and approaching the pre-pandemic level in 2019 - more than 36,500. In the first 3 months of 2025, nearly 12,000 Swiss visitors traveled to Vietnam, an increase of more than 14% over the same period last year. These are very positive numbers, demonstrating the strong recovery and sustainable development potential of the Swiss market for Vietnamese tourism.

Switzerland - a partner supporting Vietnam's tourism development

Vietnam wishes to continue expanding cooperation with Switzerland in areas such as training high-quality tourism human resources, developing green tourism products, and community tourism.

Appreciating the valuable support of the Swiss Government for Vietnam's tourism, the Director said that the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) is currently funding the non-refundable ODA project "Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development in Vietnam" (ST4SD), implemented by HELVETAS from 2024 to 2027 in Dong Thap, Quang Nam and Ha Giang provinces. This project is very practical, contributing to promoting sustainable tourism in localities with great potential but still facing many challenges. Focusing on supporting policy implementation, improving training capacity, and enhancing the operational efficiency of destinations and local businesses not only helps improve the quality of tourism, but also creates conditions for local people to benefit more from tourism, in line with the spirit of harmonious and inclusive development that Vietnam always aims for.

In the coming time, Vietnam wishes to continue expanding cooperation with Switzerland in areas such as training high-quality tourism human resources, developing green tourism products, community tourism, as well as organizing events to promote Vietnamese tourism in Switzerland, in order to increase Vietnam's presence on the tourist map of Swiss tourists.

Today's program is not only a bridge to introduce Vietnamese destinations to Swiss tourists, but also opens up valuable opportunities for businesses of the two countries to exchange information, establish partnerships and jointly exploit the potential for cooperation in the tourism sector. With the attention and support of the authorities, the initiative of the business community, along with favorable policies and an increasingly open cooperation environment, tourism exchanges between Vietnam and Switzerland will continue to develop strongly, sustainably and effectively in the coming time. "Vietnam always welcomes Swiss tourists to explore unique cultural values, beautiful natural wonders and enjoy high-quality tourism services. We expect that each journey to Vietnam will bring visitors memorable experiences, while contributing to further deepening the friendship and cooperation between the two countries", Director Nguyen Trung Khanh emphasized.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the Swiss Confederation Phung The Long speaks at the program.

Mr. Phung The Long, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the Swiss Confederation, happily said that Switzerland has been a particularly popular destination for Vietnamese tourists in recent years. When visiting this beautiful country, Vietnamese tourists not only enjoy the peaceful life and traditional festivals, but are also fascinated by the majestic snow-capped mountains, poetic villages, beautiful trails and lush green meadows.

For Swiss tourists, Vietnam is a safe and attractive destination. When coming to Vietnam, Swiss tourists can enjoy cool breezes, warm sunshine, beautiful beaches and fresh seafood. Tourists can find peace in the ancient space of Hoi An Ancient Town or the poetic beauty of Hue Imperial City. At the same time, they can also feel the vitality and modernity of cities such as Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. Wherever they go in Vietnam, tourists will always be welcomed with friendly smiles and warm hospitality of the Vietnamese people.

The friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Switzerland have grown strongly over the years. Promoting people-to-people exchanges is one of the important pillars of this relationship. In this context, with increasingly close cooperation between the National Tourism Organizations and travel companies of the two countries, we will make an important contribution to strengthening the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Switzerland.

Promoting Hue image "Ancient capital, new opportunities"

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Permanent Vice Chairman of Hue City People's Committee, introduced the National Tourism Year Hue 2025

At the program, Vietnam introduced to Swiss partners and tourists a Vietnam with diverse beauty, from UNESCO-recognized world cultural heritages such as Ha Long Bay, Hoi An Ancient Town, Hue Monuments Complex with Royal Court Music, to majestic natural landscapes and unique tourism products, suitable for the tastes of Swiss tourists who love sustainable tourism, cultural exploration and in-depth experiences. Destinations such as Sa Pa, Ha Giang, Trang An, Phu Quoc, or Son Doong Cave are expected to be attractive choices. In particular, the People's Committee of Hue City introduced the Hue National Tourism Year 2025 with the theme "Ancient Capital, New Opportunities", about the potential strengths, cultural heritage values, unique cuisine, and attractive products of the ancient capital to a large number of delegates, partners, and Swiss businesses.

In addition to introducing destinations and policies, the event also created a space for business connection activities between Vietnamese and Swiss travel and hotel companies, opening up effective business cooperation opportunities. The unique cultural and culinary performances of Vietnam such as the performance of Hue royal court music by artists from the Hue Traditional Arts Theater, the promotion of royal culinary art by Hue culinary artisans with dishes such as Cong spring rolls, Phuong spring rolls, inviting guests to make spring rolls, taste fried spring rolls and introduce the art of making lotus leaf hats also enriched the experience for attendees in a space imbued with Vietnamese cultural identity with all the senses experienced.

Businesses exchange at B2B meeting program

The program introducing Vietnamese tourism in Switzerland ended with expectations of further strong growth in tourist exchange between the two countries, contributing to deepening the friendship and multifaceted cooperation, while affirming Vietnam's position as a safe, friendly and attractive destination on the world tourism map.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/quang-ba-du-lich-viet-nam-tai-thuy-si-20250509094558885.htm