Austrade and the Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) have worked together on the Strengthening Australia Vietnam Tourism Cooperation (SAVTC) project, which is based on strong relationships and mutual understanding and sets the foundation for future growth and cooperation.
The SAVTC project is helping the Australian tourism sector take advantage of opportunities being presented through the strong growth in two-way tourism by strengthening bilateral cooperation, building capability and enhancing the place of tourism in the new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Australia and Vietnam announced earlier this year.
New reports released this week by Asialink Business and Griffith University highlight the strong potential for future growth in visitation between Australia and Vietnam. The Vietnam Host online training program, the newest addition to the Australian Tourism Export Council’s Tourism Training Hub will also complement SAVTC initiatives.
Austrade CEO Xavier Simonet said that the project has increased the Australian tourism industry’s capacity to cater to Vietnamese visitors.
“Austrade has been collaborating with government and industry partners to raise awareness and build mutual understanding between the Australian and Vietnamese tourism sectors. The SAVTC project is delivering strong commercial trade, investment and policy outcomes through high-quality client-focused services and programs, in line with the government's key priorities.
“Austrade has been proud to develop a close working relationship with VNAT over the past 2 years through the SAVTC project. We look forward to further strengthening our cooperation and sharing Australia’s world class tourism experiences with Vietnamese visitors,” Mr Simonet said.
VNAT Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh noted the importance of the SAVTC project to the overarching bilateral relationship.
“In recent years, tourism cooperation between Viet Nam and Australia has received significant attention from both Governments. During the first official visit to Australia in March 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his expectations for the development of five key areas when our relationship upgraded to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, one of which is “strengthened tourism cooperation”.
We have witnessed a substantial growth of Australian visitors to Viet Nam over the past 2 years, propelling Australia to become the 7th largest source market of Viet Nam. Through the successful implementation of the SAVTC project and tourism promotional activities, we are confident that the bilateral relations, particularly in tourism cooperation will achieve new milestones in the near future.”
The results of this cooperation have been strong, with increased industry involvement and an expansion in bilateral air services made possible through a doubling in aviation capacity propelling Vietnam to become Australia’s fastest-growing inbound market in the recovery period. In the year to August 2024 there were nearly 178,000 Vietnamese visitor arrivals, 49 per cent higher than pre-pandemic.
More Australians are also travelling to Vietnam, with over 407,000 resident returns from short-term trips to Viet Nam in the year to August 2024, which is 285 per cent higher than pre-pandemic.
The SAVTC project has been supported by funding from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. More information about Austrade’s efforts to diversify Australia’s visitor markets, including links to new Vietnam reports from Asialink and and Griffith University can be viewed on Austrade’s new international visitor markets webpage.