The European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism on cooperation in promoting the city’s tourism recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the signing ceremony on Monday, EuroCham president Alain Cany said that Vietnam’s full international tourism reopening from mid-March is the news that the European business community has been awaiting for the past two years.

The president also stated that EuroCham highly appreciated the Vietnamese government’s efforts to restore its visa policies for international visitors, including professionals and investors from Europe.

The MoU signing came as the city and the country in general are about to fully reopen international tourism from March 15 after nearly two years of closure due to COVID-19 impacts, so it is expected to open new development avenues for the local tourism sector, Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, director of the municipal Department of Tourism, said at the ceremony.

In the 2022 - 24 period, the two sides will focus on promoting MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and events) and culinary tourism, boosting market research and development, improving human resources, and strengthening promotional activities.

Bilateral cooperation will also include sharing tourism data, methods, and experience in tourism management and operations toward sustainable development, the MoU said.

Initiatives will be launched to introduce the city as a leading destination for international travelers, including those from Europe, helping the city’s tourism recover faster.

Under the MoU, the city will have opportunities to expand channels to directly promote the city’s image to European enterprises and citizens in Vietnam as well as abroad.

This year, the city aims to welcome 3.5 million international visitors, with Europe among its major markets.

Established in 1998 as the voice of the European business community in Vietnam, Eurocham, with its offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, is an apolitical, independent, and not-for-profit organization that promotes European sustainable investment and trade through good corporate citizenship, collaboration, and engagement with Vietnamese society, Eurocham said on its website.

In a related development, the municipal tourism department on the same day signed with Vietnam Airport Ground Services Company Limited (VIAGS) an agreement on tourism development cooperation.

Accordingly, both sides will jointly conduct market research and build the city’s tourism brand, coordinate in receiving MICE delegations, organize activities and events for tourism promotion, and introduce the city’s destinations to travelers at home and abroad.

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