VietNamNet Bridge – The Swiss travel firm Kuoni Group and its four selected sales agents comprising BSR Reisen, BTA Travel AG, Cosa Travel, and Fantasy Tours will start their Familiarization tour in Vietnam this Friday as organized by Vietnam Airlines.

The national flag carrier will arrange the trip of eight days, taking in many tourist attractions in the country, especially beaches such as Phan Thiet, Hoi An, and Nha Trang. In the final day in HCMC, or May 30, the organizer will also arrange a trade meeting between the Swiss operators and local travel firms and hotels.

"The group is a big travel company in Switzerland. We want to promote destinations in Vietnam to tourists and businesses in the market, which is a relative new market for Vietnam's tourism," said Nguyen Thuy Phuong from the Passenger Marketing Department of Vietnam Airlines.

She said that the organizer expected the trade meeting not only provides a chance for both Vietnamese and Swiss tourism companies to meet and discuss cooperation but also provides a chance for local travel firms to know about the travel habit of Swiss tourists.

"We have asked Kuoni Group to give a presentation about the market regarding the total number of tourists traveling abroad each year, the travel habits, their favorite destinations, and even how to make marketing most effective to them," she said.

Switzerland is not a big source market for the country's inbound tourism but the market is part of Europe, which is one of the main markets for Vietnam's tourism.

According to the General Statistics Office, last year nearly 22,000 Swiss traveled to Vietnam, up 12.7% compared to 2006.

(Source: SGT)