Khanh Hoa (VNA) – Secretary of the Party Committee of Khanh Hoa province Tran Phong has called on the Indian Embassy in Vietnam to help connect airlines, travel agencies and famtrip delegations to survey local tourism market, aiming to develop tailored products for Indian visitors to attract more tourists from India to the coastal locality.

He made this proposal during a working session on June 26 with Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Tshering Wangchuk Sherpa, as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation between Khanh Hoa and Indian localities and businesses under the framework of the Vietnam–India Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Sherpa noted that cooperation between India and Khanh Hoa has already produced positive outcomes, including friendship visits by Indian naval ships to the Vietnamese locality, and the establishment of an information technology and foreign language centre at Telecommunications University.

However, he said there remains significant room for tourism cooperation between India and Khanh Hoa province, as the number of Indian visitors has yet to match its potential.

The Ambassador underlined the need to boost tourism promotion, and expand links between travel firms and service providers to better tap the Indian market.

India is willing to share its experience in preserving ancient architectural works, support Khanh Hoa in restoring Cham towers, and train high-quality human resources in heritage conservation, he said.

In addition, India stands ready to cooperate in education and training programmes, and explore opportunities in mineral extraction and processing, particularly titanium and rare earths, while encouraging more Indian enterprises to invest in the province, the diplomat said.

He said he hopes local authorities will continue to facilitate Indian enterprises in expanding their operations, affirming the commitment to connecting and introducing more Indian businesses to explore investment opportunities in Khanh Hoa.

Phong, for his part, highly valued India’s goodwill, stressing that the suggested areas align with Khanh Hoa’s development orientations. He noted that the number of Indian tourist arrivals to Vietnam has been growing strongly in recent years, with Khanh Hoa alone welcoming more than 3,700 Indian visitors in the first five months of 2026. The official reaffirmed the province’s commitment to providing the most favourable conditions for Indian firms to operate in the locality effectively.

Khanh Hoa hopes India will helps with training in healthcare and IT, as well as conserving and restoring degraded Cham architectural works, Phong said.

Under the tourism development strategy and Resolution No. 14-NQ/TU of the provincial Party Committee, the locality aims to make tourism a key economic sector in 2026–2030, with a vision to 2045, targeting India and other suitable markets. It also aims to become an internationally recognised marine tourism hub in Asia. The locality set to welcome 18.8 million visitors this year, including 6.3 million international arrivals.

Phong took the occasion to invite the Indian diplomat to attend the Khanh Hoa Sea Festival 2026, themed “Colours of the Ocean – Reaching International Heights,” scheduled for July 17–19, which is expected to attract 600,000–800,000 domestic and international travelers.

According to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Indian arrivals to Vietnam have risen sharply from around 100,000 before 2016 to 750,000 in 2025, 4.5 times higher than in 2019, driven by expanding direct air routes. The number of Vietnamese visitors to India has also maintained an average annual growth rate of 17–20%./.