ASEAN common visa policy would facilitate tourism

By Lê Hương

Under a proposed visa policy that would permit one common visa for six ASEAN countries, foreign tourists would be able to travel freely around the region.

Tourism and trade companies believe the policy initiative would be favourable to development.

The common visa policy was first proposed by Thailand and would apply to five other ASEAN countries as well: Việt Nam, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

The policy, once applied, will ease travelling for not only tourists but also businessmen.

“I think the policy of 6 Countries, 1 Destination is wonderful,” Liz Ariana Lopez Ortiz, a tourist from Paraguay, told Việt Nam News. “I can save time, energy and expenses to get one visa for six ASEAN countries.”

Aswath Narayanan, another tourist from India, admitted that his family had applied for a visa about two weeks before they came to Việt Nam.

Tourists from South America often choose tours by Mundo Asia Tours to Southeast Asia countries. VNS Photo Lê Hương

“But then if there is one single visa like what we have in Europe, that will be great,” he said. “Let's say that I had come here for 10 days to visit, I can see another five more days where I can go to a couple of other countries like Cambodia or I can go to Thailand and come back to Việt Nam. So this would make more tourists come and visit. That would be a great initiative.”

Diego Firpo, a tourist from Uruguay, said he thought that the policy would be pretty useful because you would only have to enter once, and then you can move around all the other countries.

“So that’s pretty straightforward for everyone, as people usually go to many of these countries together,” he explained. “Let’s say tomorrow I’ll go to Thailand, so if this new visa comes into play I will not need anything else after the first time. So that’s great. That’s wonderful.”

Lourdes Ponce Molina, from Guatemala, also appreciated the initiative.

“It’s complicated to get a visa for each country so it’ll be much easier,” she said. “Also, there are people coming to Thailand who would like to come here, but they are messy with all of the paperwork. I think it’s better to have just one visa.”

Dionathan Santos, chairman of the Brazilian Chamber Of Commerce based in HCM City, said he considered the upcoming policy "amazing".

“For me as chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, when I want to travel to Cambodia or Laos, I need to apply all the time for our visas,” he said. “And sometimes they take one or two days and it's something very difficult for us. We can lose time doing this, especially when we do business. It saves a lot of time.”

Travel agencies are all happy with the policy.

Tourists guided by Mundo Asia Tours pose for a photo in Angkor. Photo Courtesy of Mundo Asia Tours

“I think the visa policy of 6 countries, 1 Destination is wonderful,” said Phạm Văn Hà, Director of Mundo Asia Tours, which is a popular company serving customers from South America.

Tourists from the region often find it hard to get a visa to Việt Nam and other ASEAN countries.

“From these far countries, people visit Asia, they always visit three countries,” Hà explained. “We often sell many tours to Thailand, Việt Nam and Cambodia. Many guests choose four or five countries. They go to also Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.”

So the visa policy will help tourists a lot, he said.

“They will spend less time and expense and have more convenience. The number of tourists may increase not only in Việt Nam, but also in other countries in our region,” he said with excitement.

Travel company Hanoitourist receives customers from many countries including India, Saudi Arabia and many places in Europe.

If the new policy takes effect, the company will get more chances to cooperate with partners in the Southeast Asian region.

“Our company has done serious research on this initiative," said Trần Hữu Bình, Deputy Director of Hanoitourist.

“From a travel agency's point of view, we see it as a magnet to draw potential tourists from six countries in the region and also a chance for the six countries to enhance cooperation in tourism,” he added.

It's hoped that the new visa policy will help increase number of tourists to Việt Nam and other ASEAN countries. VNS Photo Nguyễn Nam 

Bình said tourism is a comprehensive economic sector. If the policy is applied, it will boost cooperation in not only tourism but also other fields.

Việt Nam has visa exemptions for citizens from 25 nations.

Its tourism industry has shown a steady recovery after the pandemic, receiving nearly 13 million foreign tourists in the first nine months of this year.

The country expects to welcome up to 18 million foreign visitors by the end of this year. VNS

With the new single visa policy for six ASEAN countries, foreign tourists will save lots of time. VNA/VNS Photo