Young people experience SUP rowing on Tam Giang lagoon

Niche but promising market

Observing many recent holidays, it is easy to see that the number of young visitors to Hue is very large. Besides taking photos to check-in at destinations, they also spend time exploring the culture, experiencing the life of the ancient capital and spreading the image of Hue destination on social networks. Thai Viet Hoang (25 years old, from Ho Chi Minh City) shared: "I and many young people today really like travel experiences. We are not constrained, we only plan to go on 1-2 trips a year. Whenever we have time, we pack our backpacks and go."

The current tourism trends and picture are changing a lot. 3 years ago, in the workshop “Youth tourism trends and solutions to attract young tourists in Vietnam”, a representative of the Institute for Tourism Development Research pointed out that, in the past, traditional tourists were mainly people with stable income, free time and middle age. However, with the world's tourism development trend, along with dynamism, youth and rising socio -economic life, higher living standards, the demand for travel of young people has also increased. Currently, the young tourist segment is an important tourism market that the tourism industry and businesses need to target.

In fact, there has not been much in-depth research to have appropriate exploitation and development policies; tourism businesses have not paid much attention to products specifically for young tourists. Researching at many travel agencies, they mainly still exploit common tourism products and services for many age groups. The diversity in serving many age groups on the same tour and route helps them expand their exploitation of many customer groups, but on the contrary, it is very difficult to specialize products to create an impression and attract young tourists.

The leader of a travel company said that the young customer market is considered a niche market. The main types of tourism that young people currently favor are discovery tourism, experiential tourism, independent tourism, tourism combined with team building, backpacking tourism, cross-country journeys, etc. Because the need for independent travel is high but the spending level is often not high, there are not many businesses focusing on products specifically for this customer segment.

Currently, tourism trends are changing a lot. According to the representative of the Department of Tourism, young tourists are a growing segment, often using online booking services and learning about locations through social networks. They often choose new "check-in" spots following modern tourism trends, unique homestays, participating in experiential activities such as cycling around the city, enjoying Hue cuisine or exploring unique cafes, taking photos in Ao Dai... The spending level of this segment is not high, but they bring excitement and strong influence on social media platforms during local events and festivals.

Research to exploit

At the conference on promoting, advertising and connecting Hue tourism (September 2024), Mr. Dao Trong Tung, General Director of Vietnam Tourism Corporation - Hanoi analyzed that young people are currently the ones leading the way of playing. Just look at Hai Phong, the culinary service is not as famous as Hue, but on the train from Hanoi to Hai Phong on weekends, thousands of young people go, mainly to eat and go out. Hue should focus on creating tourism products for young people.

The psychology and travel purposes of young tourists are very different. Young travelers do not focus too much on spending on normal travel services. Instead, they want to satisfy their emotions and physical activities, like to explore new things, and capture beautiful images. The travel trends of young people are the basis for the tourism industry and businesses to research and build suitable products.

Mr. Tran Thanh Tu, Vice Chairman of Hue City Tourism Association, Director of Tu Tran Trade & Tourism Company Limited, said that the needs of young tourists are different, so to exploit and build products, it is necessary to research very carefully. One of the directions that young tourists like is music tourism associated with art programs that attract young idols. In addition, it is possible to exploit services associated with check-in, team building programs, and new trends of young people.

According to experts, to further stimulate the travel needs of young tourists, it is necessary to focus on developing diverse products that meet their travel preferences. Young people are more concerned about price, so businesses need to have appropriate stimulus strategies, create tourism value chains, increase experiences to stimulate spending, increase retention and attract them back. In addition, instead of choosing package tours, young people with a passion for travel often proactively design itineraries, choose destinations, and book services through the help of technology. This also requires strong digital transformation of the tourism industry and businesses in business activities and tourism management; actively promote and communicate through social networking platforms; and at the same time increase digital experiences in the travel journey of young tourists.

Article and photos: HUU PHUC

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/du-lich/de-khai-thac-hieu-qua-thi-truong-khach-du-lich-tre-155044.html