The signing ceremony was held on the sidelines of the ongoing Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) in Hanoi.

The programme is designed to support the travel agencies’ steady business and sustainable development in the three regions.

The parties agreed to implement price incentives, use each other’s services, and cooperate in the organization of tours for visitors.

They encouraged tour operators, hotels, restaurants, and resorts to join the stimulus programme with the aim of increasing the number of tourists visiting the three regions by air, road, rail and sea.

The tourism alliance will jointly cooperate in popularizing tourism products, developing human resources, sharing experiences in business activities and promoting the development of the ”Made in Vietnam” brand.

Nguyen Thi Khanh, Vice President of HCM City's Tourism Association, said cooperation programmes bring about encouraging results, citing an agreement between the tourism associations of HCM City and Hanoi in 2013 resulting in a twofold increase in the number of booked airfares.

The country’s airlines are highly appreciative of the tourism stimulus programmes as they have facilitated increasing the number of air routes from 7 in 2013 to 13 in 2014.