Discounted tours offered by Vietnamese tour operators have made the country an attractive destination for Australians, who are set to receive a cash bonus from the Australian government next month, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Australian citizens will receive up to A$900 ($727) on April 1 as part of the Australian government’s A$42 billion ($29.3 billion) economic stimulus package.

Many Australian travel agencies are promoting package tours of less than A$1,000 (US$695) for those who plan to spend their cash bonus on travel.

Australian media has reported many Australian students consider the assistance a gift from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and are planning budget overseas holidays.

Destinations such as Vietnam, Bali and Fiji are among likely destinations for the newly cashed-up Australian students.

But Vietnam may have an advantage over other potential destination for cashed-up Australians, with local tour operators offering discounts of up to 40 percent on package tours in Vietnam.

The discounts are part of the Vietnamese government’s tourism stimulus campaign, the “Impressive Vietnam” promotion, which was introduced to Australians at a roadshow in Melbourne last month.

The campaign, launched in January, offers discounts of up to 50 percent on package tours and other services for domestic and international tourists.

Australia is considered a promising emerging inbound tourism market for Vietnam. Last year, the country received more than 234,000 tourists from Australia, a year-on-year increase of 104 percent.

In comparison, 650,100 Chinese and 417,200 American tourists visited Vietnam in 2008.

More information is available at www.promotours.gov.vn