Opportunity for Colombia attracting tourism from Vietnam: emeralds, health and Spanish learning

Abstract

Vietnam and Colombia have diplomatic relations since January of 1979, and since then, the relation between both countries have been promoted through state visits, with the objective of increasing the bilateral cooperation through key aspects such as tourism, cultural exchange and agricultural ex- port-import. Both are countries that share many things, both suffered from a war and now are developing countries, both have an enormous biodiversity and a young population, and both are leaders in the coffee world exports. Ta- king into account these similarities and the potential to strengthen the bilateral relations, this article analyzes the tourism promotion as a key factor in the bilateral relation. In this sense, it examines the tourism attraction of Vietnam to Colombia in the context of Vietnamese people tendency to travel abroad. The research shows the Vietnamese tourism trend and the kind of tourism that Colombia should offer to Vietnamese tourists.

The article concludes that for Colombia to become an important destination for Vietnamese it is necessary to strengthen the tourism campaigns, promoting the Colombian image and country brand in Vietnam. Furthermore, it is important for Colombia to create more flexible visa policies for Vietnamese people, due to the obstacle for the travelers in choosing Colombia as a destination.