Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province (Photo: VNA)
The event, part of the VNAT national tourism program 2017, introduced the nation, people and landscapes of Vietnam as well as ties between Vietnam and Italy.
It also allowed businesses of both sides to meet and seek partnerships.
VNAT Vice Director Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong said that Vietnam’s friendly people and stunning landscapes always welcomes foreign friends. Along with convenience and safety, tourists can enjoy diverse tourism products for visitors of all ages, she said.
Within the framework of the event, Huong and Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Cao Chinh Thien worked with Italian Deputy Minister of Heritage, Culture and Tourism Dorina Dianchi to seek measures to boost bilateral tourism cooperation.
The Italian side pledged to support Vietnam in training experts in museum, while sharing experience in tourism management and operation.
Speaking with a Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Rome, Huong said that Italy is a promising market for Vietnam. Since the two countries set up their strategic partnership in 2013, the number of Italian tourists to Vietnam has risen by 10-15 percent each year on average.
In 2016, Vietnam welcomed more than 51,000 Italian visitors, up 72 percent from 2015. Italian Deputy Minister of Heritage, Culture and Tourism Dorina Dianchi also led a delegation of Italian travel firms to Vietnam to attend the Ho Chi Minh city International Tourism Exhibition last month, she noted.
Huong said that in 2018, on the occasion of the Vietnam-Italy 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties, the VNAT will hold various programmes to introduce Vietnamese tourism in major Italian cities, while exchanging field trips, improving the training of Italian speaking tour guides and diversifying tourism products to meet the demand of Italian visitors.
The VNAT delegation will next visit Spain to introduce Vietnam tourism in Valencia on October 5th./.