Vietnam's tourism industry could surpass its peak.

The target of 17-18 million visitors is within reach.

According to newly released data from the General Statistics Office, in the first nine months of the year, Vietnam received 12.7 million international visitors, a 43% increase compared to the same period last year. Of these, nearly 10.8 million arrived by air, accounting for 84.9% of international visitors, a 38.7% increase. Nearly 1.8 million arrived by land, representing 13.8%, a 68.1% increase.

In August, Vietnam welcomed 1.433 million visitors, bringing the total number of foreign tourists to over 17% higher than the peak period before the pandemic, reaching 11.4 million compared to over 11.3 million international visitors in the first eight months of 2019. However, it is worth noting that while September is the peak season, the number of international visitors dropped to only 1.27 million, a decrease of about 300,000 compared to the same period in 2019. This means that the total number of international visitors to Vietnam after nine months of 2024 will be about 100,000 lower than the 2019 peak.

A group of Indian tourists experience a boat trip on the Sao Khe River in the Trang An tourist area.

With only three months left to reach approximately 5 million tourists, concerns have arisen about the tourism industry's ability to meet its targets for this year. These worries are further heightened by the fact that China, a key market before the pandemic, remains far from a full recovery. By the end of 2019, Vietnam welcomed 5.8 million Chinese tourists, accounting for one-third of the total international visitors. Since the beginning of this year, after many efforts, China has risen to become Vietnam's second-largest international tourist market (after South Korea). However, as of the end of August, Vietnam had only welcomed nearly 2.45 million Chinese tourists, only 72.6% compared to the same period in 2019.

Regarding this issue, a representative from the National Tourism Administration stated that although Vietnam's largest market before the pandemic, China, has not fully recovered, the growth rate from July to the present has been quite promising. Furthermore, we have successfully exploited many other markets such as South Korea, Japan, European markets like the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark… and especially the Indian market.

Recently, Vietnam successfully welcomed a group of 4,500 Indian tourists, making a significant contribution to tourism growth this month. According to statistics from the National Tourism Administration, in the first eight months of the year, the number of Indian tourists increased by 263% compared to the same period in 2023, reaching 312,000, placing this emerging market of over a billion people in the 8th position among the top 10 international tourist markets to Vietnam.

International tourists aboard the Silver Spirit cruise ship dock at Tien Sa Port, Son Tra District, Da Nang City.

To accommodate the expected high growth in Indian tourists in the coming period, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Tourism Administration have developed a strategy to boost tourism promotion with the world's most populous market. Specifically, events have been organized such as: Vietnam Day in India, tourism promotion forums between the two countries, and tourism presentations at international trade fairs…

Besides Vietnamese airlines opening more direct flights to major Indian cities, the Vietnam National Tourism Administration is also coordinating with relevant units to develop suitable tourism products based on thorough research into the consumption behavior and preferences of Indian tourists. These are high-end, specialized tourism products to cater to high-spending Indian tourists. In particular, this October, the Administration will cooperate with travel agencies and localities with attractive destinations to organize a large-scale tourism promotion program for Vietnam in India.

"Furthermore, the fourth quarter is a golden time for Vietnamese tourist destinations to attract international visitors from the US and Europe as these countries enter their winter holiday season. Therefore, the target of 17-18 million tourists in 2024 remains achievable," a representative from the National Tourism Administration observed.

Change the marketing and advertising formula.

According to Nguyen Thi Huong, Director General of the General Statistics Office, the positive recovery of the tourism industry in recent times is mainly due to favorable visa policies, intensified tourism promotion and marketing programs, and prestigious tourism awards bestowed by international organizations, which have attracted an increasing number of international tourists to Vietnam.

Recently, along with the intensified implementation of communication and promotional campaigns on digital platforms, Vietnam's tourism industry has also proactively participated in many major international tourism events and fairs, contributing to boosting the number of international tourists to Vietnam. However, it cannot be denied that tourism promotion and marketing still face many bottlenecks, especially with a budget of only about 2 million USD/year, much lower than the investment of over 100 million USD/year in regional countries such as Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia…

Meanwhile, the disbursement mechanism for funds from the Tourism Development Support Fund has not been streamlined; the tourism industry lacks a local promotion force through overseas promotion offices… This situation necessitates that Vietnamese tourism adopt new and creative methods and approaches in promotion and marketing to meet competitive demands and keep pace with the rapid changes in the market and technology.

Mr. Cao Tri Dung, Chairman of the Da Nang Tourism Association, commented: In the context of limited national-level promotional campaigns, localities have been very proactive in approaching the market, organizing many direct promotional programs to attract the right and targeted number of tourists. For example, this year, Da Nang expects to welcome 9.8 million tourists, with approximately over 4 million international visitors. Placing expectations on traditional major tourist markets such as South Korea, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and Europe, the Da Nang tourism business community has been working closely with government agencies since the beginning of the year to implement a series of programs and policies to develop new products, stimulate demand, and invest in in-depth promotional activities in these markets. In the remaining three months of the year, Da Nang will continue to have very in-depth promotional programs targeting markets with the potential for rapid recovery such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

SOURCE: NATIONAL TOURISM ADMINISTRATION

“We will be organizing the Da Nang City Tourism Festival from October 17-20. This event will connect over 200 domestic and international travel partners, as well as more than 500 service providers from across the country, to Da Nang. In particular, Da Nang tourism businesses regularly conduct extensive promotional activities on platforms targeting direct customers. As customer trends have fundamentally changed, shifting towards independently researching, searching for information, and booking services directly at destinations, Da Nang has quickly adapted its approach. While maintaining a focused approach through intermediaries, we are now expanding our promotional efforts to reach end customers directly. With the convenience of destination information and the attractiveness and high competitiveness of direct information searching and booking, we believe that tourists will always return to Da Nang,” Mr. Cao Tri Dung added.

Concurring, Mr. Nguyen Huu Y Yen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saigontourist Travel Company, emphasized that with the dramatic changes in tourism behavior after the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourism industry must diversify its methods and focus on developing many types of programs. Travel companies should proactively contact former partners directly, participate in international trade fairs and promotional programs, organize seminars to introduce and promote their services, and collaborate with various entities. At the same time, they should regularly update information on pricing policies and services directly with partners to ensure the best possible products for customers. Mr. Yen also noted that the trend of individual travelers is currently increasing sharply. While providing services to individual travelers is often done through OTAs (online travel platforms such as Booking, Agoda, Traveloka, etc.), the costs are very high, around 30-40%. Therefore, restaurants, hotels, and other accommodation services must have promotional tools on multiple social media platforms so that individual customers can book directly with them (B2C).

“The National Tourism Administration already has a wealth of promotional videos, clips, and images for tourism. Service providers can download them from the database, add their logo, and then simultaneously promote images of Vietnamese destinations. With thousands or even tens of thousands of providers using the same database and working together to promote, the reach will be very high. We need a diverse range of communication and promotional methods; we cannot rely solely on traditional approaches,” Mr. Yen suggested.

Still waiting for a breakthrough.

Although there are many positive signs that Vietnam's tourism sector is recovering to its 2019 golden age, the gap with competitors like Thailand and Malaysia remains quite large.

Specifically, if the target is met, by the end of this year, Thailand will welcome nearly 37 million international tourists, bringing in revenue of up to 95.5 billion USD. Malaysia has also made a spectacular leap, becoming the most visited destination in Southeast Asia in 2023 and aiming to welcome 27.3 million foreign tourists this year. However, the race is still very dramatic, as by the end of the first half of 2024, Thailand had regained its leading position thanks to relaxed visa policies, bilateral visa exemptions with China, and many other tourism promotion activities. Vietnam, thanks to its effective new visa policy, has also surpassed Singapore to rise to the third position among countries receiving the most international tourists in the region in the first half of this year. Experts and tourism businesses believe that while the race is witnessing many changes, Vietnam needs to seize the opportunity to accelerate and make a breakthrough.

In fact, this is also the reason why the Vietnam Tourism Association confidently set a target of welcoming 20 million international tourists for the whole year of 2024, higher than the 18 million target set by the tourism industry. Association Chairman Vu The Binh explained: This bold figure is based on the openness of visa policies and the determination of tourism businesses. Most importantly, compared to the potential and needs of the tourism industry, the figure of 18 million international tourists is still quite low. Therefore, businesses are making great efforts to accelerate and boost growth even more.

According to Mr. Vu The Binh, businesses hope that the government will implement more open and groundbreaking policies to achieve this. Looking around, visa policies in other countries change very quickly and flexibly, serving the needs of tourists. We have made many efforts, but we are not as flexible as other countries. Policies supporting tourism businesses in accessing credit to invest in upgrading and renewing their product and service systems or reducing the burden of costs are still very "weak," almost inaccessible...

“To achieve a breakthrough in tourism and make significant progress, it requires genuine investment and attention from the government. However, we have also recognized that the implementation of our policies has been slow and difficult for a long time. Therefore, businesses and organizations need to fully utilize what we have, maximizing collaboration to create quality products and expand the number of tourists visiting Vietnam. This includes focusing on green tourism and digital tourism, creating products that meet customer demands and align with the sustainable tourism trends that the world is moving towards. Having good tourism products that meet customer needs will attract a diverse range of tourists, encourage them to stay longer, and spend more,” said Mr. Vu The Binh.

The domestic and international tourist markets are moving in opposite directions.

Vietnam Airports Corporation (VAC) reported that in the first eight months of 2024, airports welcomed over 75.8 million passengers, including nearly 27.5 million international passengers – an impressive figure representing a 32.4% increase compared to the same period last year. Conversely, the domestic market saw a 17.3% decrease, reaching over 48.3 million passengers. This contrasting picture is also reflected in flight data. While international flights surged by 22%, reaching 170,362, domestic flights decreased by 19.5%, totaling only 289,772. The total number of flights in the past eight months was 460,135, a slight decrease of 7.9% compared to the same period in 2023.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/du-lich-viet-nam-co-the-vuot-dinh-185241006220222066.htm