The event, which will be organized at South Korea’s Lotte Hotel & Resort Seoul, is an opportunity for Vietnam and Korea to further enhance cooperation and tourism development. It expects to attract the participation of 100 Korean delegates from travel firms and media agencies.

At the event, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism will introduce the potential and policies of Vietnam’s tourism while representatives of travel agents will share experiences and promote Vietnam’s new tourism products to the delegates.

The event is organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, the Embassy of Vietnam in Korea in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea.

 

The number of South Korean tourists visiting Vietnam in the 11 months of this year surged 55.3 percent year-on-year to 2.158 million.

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the number of visitors from South Korea to Vietnam has increased sharply over recent years. If 53,452 Korean visitors travelled to Vietnam in 2000, this number increased to 1.55 million in 2016. The growth rate in 2016 was 37.8 per cent. 

The number of South Korean tourists visiting Vietnam in the 11 months of this year was 2.158 million, up 55.3 percent year-on-year.

Dinh Ngoc Duc, head of the Tourism Market Department under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said he expects the number of Korean arrivals in Vietnam will grow 40 percent this year, which equals 2 million visitors in total.

Duc also believed the volume will continue to increase thanks to growing bilateral ties, favorable air routes and Vietnam’s visa waiver policy for South Korean nationals.

South Korean ranks second in terms of arrivals to Vietnam, behind only China. It has become a new target market for Vietnam’s tourism sector thanks to growing bilateral ties, favorable air routes, and Vietnam’s visa waiver policy for South Korean nationals. 

Vietnam has recently also taken part in many events in South Korea, such as the 32nd Korea World Travel Fair (KOTFA) held in Seoul in June, to promote tourism.

The number of Vietnamese tourists to South Korea has also increased. As of November 19, Korea welcomed more than 300,000 Vietnamese tourists, signifying an annual rise of 29.9 per cent even without December. The number of Vietnamese tourist arrivals is expected to reach 330,000 in 2017, according to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Vietnam.

With a rapidly increasing inflow of tourists in 2017, Vietnam now ranks 8th in terms of arrivals to Korea, moving up two places since last year.

MICE tourism (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) also achieved healthy performance. As of November 30, there were over 55,000 MICE tourist arrivals travelling from Vietnam to Korea, up 61.7 per cent against the same period last year.

“2017 is a successful year for Vietnam and Korean tourism. With rapid growth and the 8th ranking, Vietnam presents huge opportunities for the Korean tourism sector,” Jung Chang Wook, director of KTO in Vietnam, said.

He noted that KTO will continue its efforts to develop new and unique products for the Vietnamese market like Hallyu tourism and Korean beauty tourism.