Tourism representative offices abroad due to open
Ha Noi, Feb. 20 (VNA) -- The Viet Nam Tourism Administration (VTA) is awaiting approval from the Government for opening its representative offices in France, Japan, China and Thailand.
It is part of the VTA promotion move up to 2010, which aims to further tap these potential markets.
With 750 Chinese tourists coming to Ha Noi during the lunar New Year Festival, Viet Nam has been officially listed as one of 15 largest destination sites for Chinese tourists.
Japan, France and Thailand are among 15 countries with which Viet Nam has signed cooperation agreements.
The Japanese Government has funded a USD 2 million project on zoning a tourist site in the central region.
Foreign cooperation has brought about practical results for the VTA over the recent past, its Deputy General Director Pham Tu was quoted by Dau Tu (Investment) as saying.
The none-smoke industry has so far benefited from some other countries' aid other than Japan, including a USD 7 million project funded by Luxembourg and a more than Ecu 10 million project on personnel training by the European Union.
In order to gradually increase its international prestige, the organisation has joined in the World Tourism Organisation, The Pacific-Asian Travel Association, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the East-West Cooperation Corridor and other international forums.
External relations remain a focus of the VTA's development strategy for the 2001-2010 period, which is expected to get the Government's approval by the second quarter this year, to further attract foreign arrivals, according to a VTA official.
The VTA recorded an eight-fold growth in foreign arrivals and a 10-fold growth in local holiday-makers over the last decade.--VNA
