Khanh Hoa tourism promotion conference in Russia

Khanh Hoa tourism promotion conference took place in Moscow City, Russia on March 11. Present at the event were Dang Minh Khoi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to the Russia; Nguyen Khac Toan, Permanent Deputy Secretary of Khanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of Provincial People’s Council, Secretary of Provincial Party Agencies; Tran Hoa Nam, Vice-Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Manuylov Vyacheslav Viktorovich, Acting Director of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow; representatives of the Moscow City Tourism Committee; departments, agencies and sectors of Khanh Hoa Province together with more than 130 representatives from tourism associations and businesses in Russia and Khanh Hoa.

Khanh Hoa tourism promotion conference.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi affirmed that tourism is an important economic sector, contributing greatly to the socio-economic development. Vietnam -Russia relations, especially tourism cooperation between the two countries, have seen significant progress.

The Ambassador emphasized that Russia is one of the vital markets of Vietnamese tourism, with more and more Russian tourists traveling to Vietnam to explore distinctive culture, diverse cuisine, and stunning landscapes. In particular, Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa is considered the "beach capital of Vietnam" and is a very popular destination for Russian tourists thanks to its captivating long coastline, crystal-clear waters, pleasant climate and a wide array of services.

Representatives of Khanh Hoa tourism enterprises introduce products to Russian travel agencies.

In 2024, Vietnam welcomed more than 232,300 Russian visitors, making up 36% compared to its pre-Covid-19 in 2019, up by 84.9% compared to 2023. Russian visitors to Vietnam are expected to continue to increase in 2025. Vietnam always creates favorable conditions for Russian travelers. Recently, Russian travelers are eligible for visa exemption up to  45 days to enter Vietnam and 90 days with e-visas.

Russia has also included Vietnam in the list of countries that are granted e-visas with a stay of 14 days with straightforward application procedures. The Vietnam - Russia comprehensive strategic partnership has continued to develop strongly, creating momentum for tourism development cooperation between the two countries," Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi affirmed.

At the event, the Organizing Committee screened a video introducing the province's unique destinations, from the beautiful beaches of Nha Trang to high-end resorts, diverse sea tourism services and unique local cultural experiences. Also at the conference, delegates discussed specific solutions to overcome difficulties to restore the Russian tourist market.

Russian travel agency representatives learn about tourism information in Khanh Hoa.

Representatives of tourism businesses and delegates from both sides pledged to cooperate closely, with the aim of taking advantage of preferential policies, as well as exchange initiatives, to overcome current difficulties towards sustainable tourism development.

Speaking at the conference, Vice-Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Hoa Nam affirmed that Russian tourists are a traditional tourist market for Khanh Hoa tourism in particular and Vietnam in general. In 2019, there were about 463,000 Russian arrivals to Khanh Hoa Province, accounting for 71.6% of the total number of Russian tourists to Vietnam and Russia was known as the second largest international tourist market of the province at that time.

After the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2024, the number of Russian tourists to Khanh Hoa has resumed, reaching more than 105,500 arrivals, up by 206% compared to 2023, but only 22.8% compared to 2019. Vice-Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Hoa Nam expressed his hope that Khanh Hoa Tourism Promotion Conference in the Russian Federation will contribute to promoting the Russian tourist market.

Also within the framework of the conference, representatives of Russian enterprises visited the exhibition with many attractive products and publications, providing a comprehensive view of the province's tourism services and potential. In particular, through the Business-to-Business (B2B) session at the conference, representatives of Russian and Khanh Hoa enterprises directly exchanged, connected and built long-term business cooperation relationships with partners from Khanh Hoa in the coming time.

Vice-Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Hoa Nam and members of the working delegation worked with the Aeroflot Airline.

After the conference, the delegation of Khanh Hoa Province had a working session with representatives of the Russian national airline Aeroflot with the main objective to discuss in detail the plan to resume the direct flight service from Moscow to Cam Ranh International Airport which has been suspended since early 2020 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic..

Speaking at the meeting, Vice-Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Hoa Nam emphasized the importance of opening a direct flight route in tourism promotion between the two countries. "The restoration of the flight route from Moscow to Khanh Hoa not only shortens travel time but also reduces airfare costs and facilitates the promotion of the Russian tourist market, one of the major international tourist markets of Khanh Hoa tourism," Tran Hoa Nam expressed.

Aeroflot representatives said that the airline is closely monitoring the trend of international tourism recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, especially the increase in travel demand of Russians to warm destinations in Southeast Asia. In particular, Khanh Hoa stands out as a great destination for Russian tourists thanks to its remarkable sea and island tourism potential, beautiful natural landscapes and ideal warm climate.

Accordingly, Aeroflot has planned to resume flights to Cam Ranh with 2 flights/week from the end of March 2025 and will consider increasing the frequency of flights during the peak tourist season. The reopening of the flight route from Moscow to Cam Ranh not only meets travel demand but also contributes to promoting trade and bilateral cooperation between Russia and Vietnam.

CM-XT

Translated by N.T