Vietnam, Russia’s city boost tourism cooperation

During the two-day event, delegates discussed and proposed ideas in order to boost cooperation in tourism, promoting potential and creating the environment to attract Russian tourists to Vietnam and vice versa.

Mr. Vo Duy Sang, Head of the delegation from the central coastal province of Thanh Hoa, said the forum offers opportunities for Thanh Hoa to access information, guide businesses to exploit the market and develop the best quality tourism products with reasonable prices to provide to customers from Thanh Hoa to Russia in general, and to Saint Petersburg in particular.

He stressed that Russia is the key international tourism market for the locality. He hopes Russia’s tourism sector in general and the authority of Saint Petersburg in general, will provide information for Russian firms that are interested in and capable of cooperating with Thanh Hoa in the field.

Gorokhov Aleksander Felisovich, General Director of the Union of National and International Tourism Information Organisations (SONATO), said that the exploitation of tourism cooperation potential between Vietnam and Saint Petersburg is facing many obstacles due to the lack of direct flights between Saint Peterburg and major cities of Vietnam, as well as Vietnam being excluded in the list of electronic visa programs.

Meanwhile, Kalganov Vyacheslav, head of Saint Petersburg's external relations committee, pledged that he will propose the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs consider simplification of visa-related regulations and procedures, thus facilitating tourism cooperation.

On the sidelines, a cooperation agreement on tourism development was signed between representatives of Thanh Hoa’s Sam Son city and a central district of Saint Petersburg./.