Visa exemption for tourists from 9 countries

When traveling, the thing that tourists are most concerned about is applying for a visa. Although Vietnam has been quite open in granting visas, it is still criticized as being strict compared to many neighboring countries. Therefore, Vietnam is considering visa exemption for tourists from 9 countries.

Travel to 44 countries without visa, Vietnam ranks after Laos and Cambodia

Be open with 'entrance fees'

According to the Henley & Partners visa restrictions index, Vietnam is ranked 81st because it only allows 47 nationalities to enter without a visa, while Singapore ranks 5th, Malaysia ranks 8th and Hong Kong ranks 15th.

Tourists are seeing visas as a procedure that imposes costs, including direct costs (visa fees) and indirect costs (distance, waiting time and complexity of the process). If the cost exceeds a threshold, potential tourists will not make the trip or will choose an alternative destination.

The Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Mr. Tony Tyler, said that every tourist who decides to go to neighboring countries due to difficulties in obtaining a visa in Vietnam means that Vietnam loses a business opportunity. Thus, Vietnam's relaxation of visa requirements will contribute to promoting tourism development.

In 2013, Vietnam welcomed 7.5 million international visitors, equal to 1/3 of Malaysia (photo by DN newspaper)

Welcoming 400,000 tourists a year, including tens of thousands of international visitors, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky, General Director of Marketing and Transport Tourism Company (Vietravel), said that it is necessary to soon consider removing or simplifying visa application procedures. He cited that before removing visas for Japan, visitors to Vietnam were very few, even lower than the US, now that visas have been loosened, Japan has become a popular tourist market.

Proposal to exempt visa for 9 countries

The Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have proposed easing visa procedures for tourists from France, Germany, the UK, Spain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, India and Canada in order to attract more international visitors from key areas. The Tourism Advisory Council has also recently given written support for the proposal.

Explaining why these 9 countries were chosen, the Tourism Advisory Board said that Western tourists have high spending ability and long-term stay; Australian and New Zealand tourists are potential markets that bring revenue to tourism businesses during the low season; and Canada is in the top 15 international tourist markets to Vietnam. India, with its large population, will become an important source market.

Thanks to visa exemption, some ASEAN countries have welcomed a large number of visitors.

Vietnam currently applies a visa exemption system for 30 days for tourists from ASEAN countries (except Brunei for 14 days) and for 15 days for tourists from Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Japan, South Korea and Russia.

Thanks to that, international visitors to Vietnam have increased significantly. Statistics from the General Department of Tourism show that the total number of international visitors to Vietnam in the first 8 months of 2014 reached more than 5.47 million, an increase of 12% compared to the same period in 2013. Of which, nearly 42% of visitors are visa-free. In particular, tourists from Russia increased by 27%; tourists from Korea and Japan maintained outstanding growth and are the two leading markets sending international tourists to Vietnam.

In addition, international visitors to Vietnam also bring in a large source of revenue. In 2013, Vietnam welcomed 7.57 million international tourists, with an average spending of 1,200-2,500 USD/visitor, bringing in billions of USD in revenue for the industry.

However, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky said that easing visa procedures can be done in many ways. For example, if visitors come to Vietnam once, they should be exempted from visas, or they should be given the opportunity to get a landing visa on the spot (get a visa at the airport). For large travel companies, they should be authorized to make visas for them, meaning they are responsible for visas for their guests. Dubai is implementing this method, so despite the harsh weather conditions, visitors still flock to visit.

Furthermore, “the visa check-in counters at the airports are too small, at best there are only two lands (areas to queue for visas). Passengers have to stand and sit all over the place, which tarnishes the image of the tourism industry,” Mr. Ky commented.

According to Vietnam.net