Hanoi (VNA) - One year after the government opened its doors to international tourists after the COVID-19 pandemic, the recovery of air travelers has not yet reached expectations. According to a report by the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV), in 2022, international passengers reached 11 million, accounting for only 28% compared to 2019, much lower than other countries in regions such as Europe and America. This shows that the pace of recovery is slow although Vietnam has lifted restrictions on entry passengers from March 15, 2022, and restored the visa-free policy for 25 countries from May 2022. Mr. Bui Doan Ne, Vice President of the Vietnam Aviation Business Association acknowledged that Vietnamese aviation enterprises had made quite timely preparations for the recovery phase right from the time the epidemic was still breaking out strongly. Mr. Ne assessed that as soon as the regulations on travel restrictions were lifted, airlines have quickly open new domestic and international routes. “Although Vietnam's aviation industry faces great challenges, there are still significant opportunities for recovery and development,” said Mr. Ne. Mr. Trinh Ngoc Thanh, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Airlines gave comparative figures, in 2022, Vietnam aims to welcome 5 million international passengers but only 3.66 million passengers, reaching 73% of the plan. Looking at the countries in the region in 2022, the number of international visitors to Singapore is 6.3 million; Thailand is 11.8 million (while the plan is only 8 million); Malaysia is 7.2 million. “Visa policy is not competitive compared to other countries in the region. The visa exemption period is short (15 days). Vietnam only exempts visas for 24 countries in the form of unilateral and bilateral while Malaysia and Singapore exempt visa for 162 countries, Philippines157 countries, Thailand 64 countries. Those countries allow multiple entry and exit times, while Vietnam only allows visitors to enter once,” Thanh clarified. In addition, Mr. Thanh also pointed out the fact that Vietnam has not diversified its tourism markets, and is heavily dependent on Northeast Asian markets such as China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan (China). A representative of Vietravel Airlines said that the information that China decided to put Vietnam on the pilot list to open group tourism from March 15 has brought excitement to not only the tourism market but also local airlines. The Vietnamese airlines are actively preparing to welcome the first Chinese passenger groups to the country. “China is a market that is always expected to contribute to the recovery of Vietnam's aviation and tourism sector,” the representative of Vietravel Airlines emphasised. With experience in the aviation industry, Vietnam Airlines Deputy General Director Trinh Ngoc Thanh said that countries with visa exemption and direct flights, the number of passengers will double within 3 years. Therefore, he suggested that it is necessary to ease and expand visa policies soon to ensure competition with countries in the region such as Thailand and Singapore. Mr. Bui Minh Dang, Deputy Head of the CAAV’s Passenger Transport Department revealed that the Vietnamese aviation has set a target of serving 34 million international passengers this year, equal to about 80% compared to 2019. He said the target is achieved or not depends largely on the number of international visitors to Vietnam and visa policy is an important solution./.