The Tourism Ministry is conducting a sales mission to promote 10 Indonesian destinations in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Participating in the 2018 International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City that runs from Sept. 6-8 at Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center, the ministry is bringing 10 sellers from Bali, Yogyakarta, Riau Islands and Papua.
Among the destinations highlighted by the sales mission are Bandung, Bali, Jakarta, Riau Islands, Yogyakarta-Surakarta-Semarang, Wakatobi-Bunaken-Raja Ampat, Medan, Makassar, Lombok and Banyuwangi.
Indonesia seeks to attract more tourists from Vietnam this year; it welcomed 64,000 Vietnamese last year and is expecting to lure up to 74,000 in 2018.
Masruroh, the ministry’s official in charge of marketing development for Region I, said in a statement that Indonesia considered Vietnam a promising market with ongoing growth in tourism. This was due to the country’s increased economy that was boosting the number of middle-to-high income citizens who could afford vacations abroad.
Last year, there were some 8 million outbound Vietnamese tourists, with the main destinations including Japan, Thailand and China. Indonesia does not yet appear high on that list.
“Based on a survey conducted by the ministry, Vietnamese enjoy luxury and modern travel. They love to shop, spa and [stay at] resorts, which are plentiful in Indonesia. Additionally, its young travelers also look for adventurous or adrenaline-pumping activities,” said Masruroh, as quoted by kompas.com.
Aside from the sales mission, the ministry also held a familiarization trip (famtrip) that invited media and tourist industry representatives as endorsers to explore destinations in Indonesia that are suitable for Vietnamese.
By The Jakarta Post