Since the two countries established diplomatic ties more than 40 years ago, Vietnam and Singapore have developed their cooperation relations in various fields. In addition to strengthening trade and investment relations, their tourism cooperation has achieved positive progress. In the coming time, the two sides will focus on two main cooperation contents: Personnel training and cruise tourism development cooperation.
In the past years, Vietnam - Singapore tourism cooperation has always seriously cared for development and progress. Particularly, the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) reaffirmed the importance of regional cooperation and strengthening of bilateral tourism cooperation relations.
Both parties have effectively cooperated to carry out many collaborative activities in investment promotion, human resources development, information exchange, and tourism product construction. Vietnam and Singapore signed the Tourism Cooperation Agreement in 1994 and set up Singapore - Vietnam Tourism Cooperation Committee (SVTC) in 1998, which has convened 14 meeting sessions. Besides, the Singapore Tourism Board was the first international tourism body to open a representative office in Vietnam. This has promoted and increased tourist arrivals from Singapore to Vietnam and vice versa.
According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Singapore is always an important tourist market in ASEAN. In 2015, Vietnam welcomed more than 236,000 Singaporean tourists, accounting for about 3 per cent of total international tourist arrivals to the country. In the first four months of 2016, Vietnam received more than 79,000 Singaporean visitors, up 13.3 per cent from the same period of 2015.
Besides, Singapore is one of favourite destinations of Vietnamese tourists. In 2015, Vietnamese tourist arrivals to Singapore reached 418,000 and Vietnam ranked 13th among international tourist arrivals in Singapore. Particularly, in the first three months of 2016, Vietnamese tourist arrivals to Singapore increased 12 per cent year on year. With a population of more than 90 million, Vietnam will continue to be a major market for Singapore in the future.
In addition to cooperation in human resource development, information exchange and product construction, the two sides have concentrated on promoting tourism investment. By the end of 2015, Singapore had 30 valid hotel and restaurant projects with a total registered capital of nearly US$1.9 billion in Vietnam and thus became a top tourism investor in Vietnam.
Most recently, at the 14th meeting of the Vietnam - Singapore Tourism Cooperation Committee in Lam Dong province, Vietnam in May 2016, the two sides defined future tourism cooperation contents, including cruise tourism development cooperation, tourism promotion cooperation and personnel training strengthening.
The two countries will seek measures to expand airway connections, exchange tour and tourism product research delegations, actively attend tourism events in each country, and coordinate to form tourism routes from Singapore via Vietnam to Northeast Asian countries to lure cruise tourist delegations from third countries to Vietnam and Singapore. In ASEAN, Vietnam and Singapore will co-host the construction and development of maritime and river-way tourism products, two of tour tourism forms ASEAN give priority for development. Earlier, the Singapore Tourism Board carried out surveys on tourist attractions visited from the sea in three central coastal provinces in Vietnam, namely Thua Thien - Hue, Da Nang and Quang Nam to advise Vietnam to build marinas for seagoing cruise ships.
Also at this meeting, representatives from the Singapore Tourism Board proposed that the two countries will open flight routes between Lam Dong province of Vietnam and Singapore. Singapore will support human resources education and training and infrastructure development to receive cruise ships and introduce major shipping firms in cooperation with Singapore to arrive in Vietnam to find business opportunities.
Regarding tourism human resources training, Singapore has supported Vietnam to train more than 2,000 tourism workers and officials since 2002, focusing on sustainable tourism development management, tourism marketing, tourism English, and tourism communication skills. In the coming time, the Vietnam - Singapore Training Centre will organise more tourism training courses such as short-term tourism management training courses.
Not only that, with help from Singapore, three destinations in Vietnam - Da Lat, Phu Quoc and Ho Chi Minh City - will build a tourism information website for Singaporean travellers, displayed in English. This will be a motivation and condition for the two nations to develop tourism in the coming time.
Ha Thu
Vietnamese
