Tourism sector sets sights on Russian market

The Vietnamese tourism sector is shifting the focus of its promotional programme onto Russia, says an official from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
Nguyen Thanh Vuong, Vice Head of VNAT’s Tourism Marketing Department, said on the sidelines of Moscow International Travel and Tourism Exhibition 2010 that Vietnam expects to receive 100,000 Russian tourists this year.
Mr Vuong, who led a delegation to the expo, insists this objective is realistically within reach because Vietnam enjoys socio-political stability and the Vietnamese Party and State are committing significant resources to the development of the tourism sector.
Last year, Vietnam received about 50,000 tourists from Russia, he added.
The international tourism exposition which opened on March 17 has attracted 130 travel agencies from 77 different countries.
On the opening day, the Vietnamese section of the expo, dubbed ‘Hidden Charm’, was packed with visitors, many of whom patiently queued to get leaflets or such gifts as conical hats, or to get a taste of Vietnamese dishes like spring rolls, sweet and sour salad, or fried rice.