Industry leaders in Vietnam are urging the government to offer visa-free entry for travellers from key markets – including Australia – after a recent fall in international visitors.
Currently Vietnam only offers visa-free entry for travellers from Japan, South Korea, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Russia.
However, a group of travel experts has asked the government to consider expanding the offer to citizens from Australia, France, the UK and Germany.
Speaking at a workshop hosted by the Vietnam Tourism Association, the group believe visa-free entry would encourage more travellers to choose Vietnam for their next holiday.
This comes after the latest international figures released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism reported a 12.2 percent decrease in arrivals during the first four months of 2014 compared to the same time last year.
Over the same period, the number of Australian visitors fell 8.3 percent, while in April there was a three percent decline compared to the same month 2013.
According to Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, Nguyen Huu Tho, the decline comes after a recent change in visa, transit and cruise regulations, Viet Nam News reported.
He also noted a lack of coordination with tourism promotion and a shortage of large-scale campaigns.
Other reasons Tho believes contributed the decline in tourism include insufficient support for new tourism services and a lack of qualified staff.
As a result, he along with other tourism experts believe visitors from key markets should be given visa-free entry.
They also said there should be a 30-day exemption for citizens from nine out of the 10 ASEAN member states.
Earlier this year, India eased its visa regulations for Australians, with the launch of a new e-visa system.
Although Australians still need to purchase a visa, the form can now be completed online and in most cases permission is granted within 24 hours. Read on
Launched in November, the new visa system has already attracted more visitors, with India issuing 2,700 more visas in December last year compared to the same month the prior year.
In January, the figure rose again, with some 25,023 tourists obtaining a TVoA compared to 1,903 regular visas in January 2014.