HCMC-Mumbai air service in the offing

India’s Jet Airways is studying the Vietnamese market in preparation for starting an air route connecting HCMC with Mumbai in the coming time.
Abhay Thakur, Consul General of India in HCMC, said Vietnam and India are working to operate a direct flight connecting the two countries. Vietnam Airlines and Jet Airways last October signed a memorandum of understanding on opening the HCMC-Mumbai service or HCMC-Bangkok-Mumbai air route.
“Jet Airways has picked an agent in Vietnam, and the opening of this flight will boost the tourism,” he said at a meeting introducing India’s tourism on Wednesday in HCMC.
However, the exact time for this new flight is not mentioned.
According to several Indian travel agencies attending the meeting, the Vietnamese market is growing strongly. These firms are boosting promotion activities in Vietnam and have invited Vietnamese travel and media agencies to India to explore the country’s tourism.
Mukesh Kumar from Magadh Travels & Tours Pvt. Ltd said that the firm welcomed around 300 Vietnamese tourists last year, and the number of Vietnamese would be higher this year. “We are planning to open a representative office in HCMC,” he said.
Meanwhile, Top Travel & Tours Pvt. Ltd had up to 2,000 tourists from Vietnam last year, up 50% from the previous year.
According to Vietnamese travel firms, despite the absence of a direct flight to India, the number of customers buying tours to this country is on the rise.
Do Thi Khanh, director of Viet An Co., said that her firm takes over 2,000 tourists to India each year.