Delegation from Kerala in Vietnam to explore ways to enhance tourism
HO CHI MINH CITY: A 23-member delegation from Kerala has commenced its seven-day visit to Vietnam to study tourism prospects and enhance cooperation between the two countries in tourism and hospitality sectors.
The delegation comprising as many as 14 emerging entrepreneurs arrived at Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday and met several key tourism industry leaders and government officials. The objective behind the visit of the delegation is to develop a deeper understanding of the emerging Vietnamese tourism and hospitality sectors and forge robust connections with its industry leaders.
Neelkanth Pararath, managing director of WebCRS, a leading tourism consultant and technology provider, who jointly organised the trip along with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Vietnam Government, said the visit was part of the efforts to scale up tourism operations of Indian companies so that a vibrant tourism ecosystem which can challenge the hegemony of global enterprises could be developed.
“Our vision is to provide all sort of assistance and guidance to Indian entrepreneurs to tap the full potential of the global tourism industry so that they can generate revenue and create more jobs. Right now, it’s the global big-ticket enterprises that are benefitting from the increased tourism spending of Indians. The tourism ecosystem we envisage to set up will reverse that and help emerging Indian firms to fully harness favourable conditions,” he said.
The unique feature of the delegation is that the entrepreneurs hail from various professional backgrounds and chose to launch their own tourism business out of passion for travel. The delegation comprises youths, lawyers, techies and retired government employees.
The delegation visited five provinces in Southern Vietnam and held discussions with government officials and tourism stakeholders. The delegation also presented the tourism prospects of Kerala and discussed ways to enhance synergy between the tourism industries of both countries.
The Vietnam officials conveyed their interest in an enhanced tourism cooperation with India and expressed their wish to send an official delegation to Kerala for more discussions on that front. WebCRS, meanwhile, signed MoUs with several Vietnamese enterprises to boost cooperation in the tourism industry.
Nearly four lakh Indian tourists visited Vietnam in 2023 and the number is likely to increase in the future. Consulate General of Ho Chi Minh City, Madan Mohan Sethi, while attending a meeting of the delegates and the Vietnam tour companies, said India undertook about 400 projects in various sectors, ranging from tourism to higher education, in Vietnam in the last four years.
