HCM City authorities have suggested the central government extend the visa exemption for key source markets for the tourism sector to lure more tourists.
The HCM City government proposed extending the visa-free stay from 15 days to 21 or 30 days for visitors from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Russia, South Korea, the UK, Germany, France and Spain so that tourists can take longer tours in Vietnam.
The city also proposed extending the visa waiver for five European countries including the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy from one-year to five-year validity and allowing for a visa-free stay of 30 days for tourists re-entering Vietnam.
The municipal government said the visa waiver extension would help boost tourism development in the city and the country as a whole and contribute to making the tourism sector more professional, effective, competitive and sustainable.
The number of visitors from Eastern Europe has risen 14 percent a year since the government launched the visa exemption programme for this market two years ago.
HCM City is the leading tourist destination of the country. It welcomed more than 6.38 million international tourists last year, up 22.8 percent year-on-year, with tourism revenues totalling nearly VND116 trillion (US$5.1 billion), up 12.6 percent. The city expects 7.5 million foreign visitors this year.
http://english.thesaigontimes.vn/58452/HCM City-proposes-extending-visa-waiver.html
Category: Finance
