Alejandro Montalban, Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Vietnam, at the opening ceremony of the 6^th VITM on March 28^th .

The opening ceremony of VITM 2018 (source: EU Delegation in VN)

VITM’s is an annual tourism fair held in Vietnam, aiming to boost all of three travel pillars: outbound, inbound and domestic.

VITM is a platform for national tourism organizations and tourism related businesses to promote, network, and increase the awareness of destination and brand name.

EU has been a mentor to the establishment of the first VITM in 2013 and the subsequent years. Today EU is currently supporting the Vietnam Tourism Association in a new project to strengthen the capacity of tour guides in the execution of tourism law to foster sustainable and responsible tourism in Vietnam.

In his opening speech at the VITM 2018, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam emphasized Vietnam's appreciation for the support from EU.

The European Union has been a strong partner of Vietnam and has over the past 15 years worked closely in supporting the tourism sector with the government as the country solidifies its place on the world tourism stage.

Over this time in excess of 20 million euros was allocated to support strengthening the delivery of tourism trainings to services and to build capacities and strengthen the foundation of the Vietnamese tourism sector for responsible and sustainable tourism.

One of the most remarkable support from EU for Vietnam is the Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism (ESRT) Capacity Development Programme (2011-2015) which aimed to enhance competitiveness and contribute to achieving the country’s Socio-Economic Development Plan (SEDP). The specific objective is to provide consulting services for the project with the purpose of promoting the delivery of environmentally and socially responsible tourism services as part of Vietnam’s tourism sector strategy./.

( VNF )