VIETNAM, BALINEWS.ID – The Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) Bali Chapter and Vietnam’s Lam Dong Province have agreed to strengthen tourism cooperation by developing joint travel packages, conducting integrated destination promotions, and improving tourism connectivity between Indonesia and Vietnam.

The commitment was highlighted during a tourism promotion forum and business matching session in Lam Dong, bringing together tourism stakeholders from both countries to explore new opportunities for collaboration.

ASITA Bali Chairman I Putu Winastra emphasized that collaboration, rather than competition, is the key to increasing the competitiveness of Southeast Asian destinations in the global tourism market.

“Cooperation is far more valuable than competition. Instead of asking how many tourists we can attract individually, we should focus on growing together by creating more attractive travel experiences for international visitors,” Winastra said during his keynote address.

According to him, Bali and Lam Dong offer complementary tourism products instead of competing with one another. Lam Dong is renowned for its cool highland climate, breathtaking landscapes, coffee plantations, adventure tourism, and rich local culture. Meanwhile, Bali has earned international recognition for its cultural heritage, hospitality, wellness tourism, luxury resorts, marine attractions, and vibrant creative industry.

“That is why we see enormous potential in developing cross-border travel packages that combine the unique charm of Bali with the beauty of Da Lat and Lam Dong,” he added.

Representing hundreds of travel agencies across Bali, ASITA also proposed several concrete areas of cooperation, including strengthening business-to-business (B2B) partnerships between tourism operators, exchanging market intelligence and travel trends, organizing familiarization trips for travel agents, media representatives, and content creators, as well as conducting joint promotions through international travel fairs and digital marketing campaigns.

The association also underlined the importance of improving air connectivity between Indonesia and Vietnam to facilitate visitor mobility and enhance the attractiveness of both destinations.

“We hope this meeting will not remain merely a ceremonial event but will become the starting point of a long-term partnership built on trust, friendship, and mutual benefit,” Winastra said.

Meanwhile, Nguyễn Lan Ngọc, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong Province, said Indonesia has been identified as one of the province’s priority international tourism markets with significant growth potential.

At present, Indonesian visitors account for only around 0.4 percent of Lam Dong’s total international tourist arrivals, indicating substantial room for expansion.

Ngọc said the provincial government is committed to expanding cooperation with Indonesia through tourism product development, joint promotional activities, integrated travel package creation, and service quality improvements, including the development of Muslim-friendly facilities and halal tourism offerings.

The forum was attended by representatives of the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Ho Chi Minh City, the Lam Dong Tourism Association, the Lam Dong Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center, airlines, tourism businesses, and travel companies from both Indonesia and Vietnam.

During the event, delegates presented their respective tourism destinations, participated in business matching sessions, and explored various opportunities to develop new travel packages linking Bali and Lam Dong while increasing tourist exchanges between the two countries.

Prior to the forum, from July 6 to 9, 2026, the ASITA Bali delegation and Indonesian tourism industry representatives conducted a familiarization trip to several leading destinations across Lam Dong Province. The visit was aimed at assessing tourism products suitable for Indonesian travelers, including the growing halal tourism market.

Through this partnership, both sides expect to create broader business opportunities for tourism stakeholders, strengthen Indonesia–Vietnam bilateral relations, and promote sustainable, high-quality tourism that delivers long-term benefits to local communities in both destinations. (*)