Overview of the 55th GMS Tourism Working Group Meeting
Deputy Director of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Phan Linh Chi speaks at the meeting
At the Tourism Working Group meeting (June 24, 2025), GMS countries updated their tourism situation. Accordingly, the meeting noted the tourism growth results of countries in the Subregion through tourism statistics (international and domestic visitors, total revenue), updated visa policies to facilitate tourism, target markets, national tourism strategies, key areas for 2025, smart tourism initiatives to improve tourism management and marketing, GMS tourism cooperation activities implemented in 2024 and 2025, etc.
According to the report of the Vietnamese delegation, the number of international visitors to Vietnam in the period of 2019-2025 showed a clear recovery. In 2019, Vietnam welcomed more than 18 million international visitors. After the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam's tourism quickly regained growth momentum. By 2024, the number of international visitors had almost fully recovered, reaching nearly 17.6 million. In the first 5 months of 2025, Vietnam welcomed more than 9.2 million international visitors, an increase of 21.3% over the same period in 2024. In May 2025 alone, the number of international visitors reached more than 1.5 million, an increase of 10.5% over the same period last year. This steady growth is a positive signal, reflecting the strong recovery of the market and the increasingly strengthened confidence of international visitors. Tourism is considered a bright spot in the overall socio -economic development of the country.
Heads of GMS delegations take souvenir photo
In the top 10 international visitor source markets of Vietnam in 2024, South Korea leads with about 26% of total visitors, followed by China with 21.2%. Other important markets include: Taiwan (China), the United States, Japan. There are 03 countries in the top 10 international visitor source markets of Vietnam, including: China, Cambodia and Thailand.
Domestic tourism continues to be a pillar of the post-pandemic recovery. In 2024, Vietnam recorded 110 million domestic tourists. In the first 5 months of 2025, there were 61.5 million visitors, showing the stability and strong growth of the domestic market. Vietnam aims to serve 120 to 130 million domestic visitors in 2025.
Leaders and delegates of GMS countries take souvenir photos
The meeting welcomed and appreciated Vietnam's adjustments to visa policies to facilitate tourism in 2025 through the Tourism Stimulus Program for citizens of Switzerland, Poland and the Czech Republic. This contributes to the common efforts of the Sub-region in the general trend of creating more open conditions for visa policies for international visitors to the GMS region.
The Vietnamese delegation informed the Session about major tourism events until the end of 2025 and invited countries to participate: Hue National Tourism Year with the theme "Hue - Ancient Capital, New Opportunities", Ho Chi Minh City International Tourism Fair - ITE HCMC 2025... 2025 also marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2025). On this occasion, a series of national-scale commemorative activities will be held across the country, bringing many opportunities for visitors to experience unique cultures.
Also at the meeting, the Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) reported a summary of the performance update of MTCO's digital assets and the MekongTourism.org website; Progress in implementing MTCO 2025 activities and joint projects proposed and agreed upon by the countries in the previous meeting, such as the GMS Tourism Strategy 2030; Social Media Campaign; Results of the next Training of Trainers Campaign on Digital Skills Improvement for Women in the Tourism Community...
The representative of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) presented the list of activities supporting tourism in the Subregion that ADB is implementing (projects, technical assistance, knowledge services) and sought guidance from the Working Group on potential joint subregional activities that can be included in the next round of GMS tourism projects being prepared in the period of 2025 - 2027. The ASEAN-Japan, ASEAN-China Centers, foreign partners such as Agoda, Millennium Destinations reported updates on tourism cooperation activities, implementation proposals with countries in the Subregion.
In addition, the meeting was an opportunity for the three countries of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to report on the results and progress of the implementation of the Tourism Infrastructure Development Projects supporting comprehensive growth in the GMS funded by ADB (TIIG Phase 2). On the Vietnamese side, a representative of the Department of Planning and Finance (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), the focal point for monitoring and managing ADB-funded projects, reported on the implementation status of projects in Vietnam.
Vietnamese delegation attends the Sub-regional Tourism Associations and Enterprises Workshop
On the morning of June 25, 2025, the Vietnamese delegation attended the MTCO Council Meeting. The contents of the Meeting focused on: MTCO Office operations (finance, adjustment of Office operating guidelines, etc.); Update on the status of countries completing internal procedures to implement the signing of the Agreement to establish MTCO Office as an international organization, roadmap, and deadline for countries; The preparation plan for the GMS Tourism Strategy 2030 Launching Ceremony taking place on June 26, 2025, which was approved by GMS countries within the framework of the Mekong Tourism Forum 2025 Agenda.
On the same afternoon, the Vietnamese delegation continued to attend the Sub-regional Tourism Associations and Enterprises Workshop. The workshop was held on the sidelines of the Sub-regional Tourism Meetings to strengthen the relationship between stakeholders in the private sector in the region, address barriers, difficulties, and challenges, make specific recommendations on GMS multinational tourism products, and make recommendations to GMS national tourism agencies.
The 56th GMS Tourism Working Group Meeting is expected to take place in Ninh Binh. Vietnam reported at the meeting its plan to prepare to host the Meeting in Ninh Binh, scheduled for November 16-20, 2025. Myanmar announced that the 57th GMS Tourism Working Group Meeting and the 2026 Mekong Tourism Forum will take place in Myanmar, scheduled for June 2026.
Vietnam National Tourism Administration
Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/viet-nam-tham-du-phien-hop-nhom-cong-tac-du-lich-gms-lan-thu-55-va-cac-phien-hop-tieu-vung-20250626081949284.htm
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