Vietnam - Israel to strengthen tourism cooperation

On April 15, in Hanoi, Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh had a meeting and worked with Mr. Yaron Mayer, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to Vietnam to discuss orientations to promote bilateral tourism cooperation in the new recovery and development period.

Promoting substantive and in-depth cooperation
Welcoming Ambassador Yaron Mayer to visit and work, Director Nguyen Trung Khanh said that Vietnam's tourism has had an impressive recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic.

By the end of 2024, Vietnam have welcomed nearly 18 million international visitors and served 110 million domestic visitors, reaching 98% recovery rate, the highest in the ASEAN region.

The Government of Vietnam always consider tourism development as one of the strategic priorities and have had many policies to remove bottlenecks, creating favorable conditions for international tourists to Vietnam as well as Vietnamese citizens to travel abroad.

In 2025, Vietnam aims to welcome 22-23 million international visitors and serve 120-130 million domestic visitors, aiming to expand potential markets, strengthen linkages and diversify high-quality tourism products.

Israel - a promising market, needs more effective connectivity
Expressing his impression of Vietnam's tourism recovery achievements, Ambassador Yaron Mayer said that the number of Israeli tourists to Vietnam after the pandemic tends to increase.

There are many positive feedbacks about Vietnamese culture, people and cuisine from Israeli tourists.

According to the Ambassador, tourism is an effective intersection in strengthening relations between countries, and Israel wishes to further enhance tourist exchange activities with Vietnam.

To realize that, Ambassador Yaron Mayer proposed a number of specific initiatives: Promoting direct flights between the two countries to shorten travel time and increase connectivity.

Consider visa exemption for tourists traveling in groups to facilitate tour businesses.

Organize famtrips (product and destination surveys) for travel businesses of the two countries to promote B2B cooperation.

Invite Vietnam to participate in the International Mediterranean Tourism Fair (IMTM), Israel's only official tourism event, scheduled to take place in May 2025.

Commitment to coordinate and realize tourism linkage initiatives
Thanking the Ambassador for his practical suggestions, Khanh affirmed that Vietnam is ready to cooperate more deeply with Israel to boost tourism promotion and exchange activities.

The Director acknowledged the invitation to attend IMTM and expressed his hope that this would be a good opportunity for Vietnam to promote its destination image to the Israeli market and the Mediterranean region.

Both sides agreed that the lack of direct flights and large-scale promotion programs are barriers that need to be removed soon.

Regarding this issue, the Director said he would inform the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to study the possibility of opening a direct flight route, and at the same time request that Israel have a policy to support and encourage airlines to open new routes.

The Director also assessed Israel as a potential market with high spending, a passion for discovery and interest in cultural experiences, nature, and unique cuisine, outstanding advantages of Vietnamese tourism.

At the same time, the demand for overseas travel of Vietnamese people is also increasing sharply, so Vietnam hopes that the Israeli Government will continue to loosen visa policies, creating more favorable conditions for Vietnamese citizens to travel to Israel.

Continue cooperation, towards a new stage of development
Vietnam and Israel signed a tourism cooperation agreement in 1996, which includes many cooperation contents such as organizing survey teams, participating in tourism fairs and exchanging expertise.

However, both sides agreed that the tourism potential between the two countries has yet to be fully exploited.

Khanh suggested that the two sides soon establish a technical focal point to exchange specific information and effectively implement initiatives and action programs.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is committed to being a partner with the Embassy of Israel in all promotional activities, connecting businesses and promoting people-to-people exchanges between the two countries through tourism.

This meeting and exchange is a testament to the interest and determination of the two countries in making tourism an important pillar in bilateral relations, making practical contributions to cultural exchange, economic cooperation and connecting the people of Vietnam and Israel in the new era.

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