Indian visitors have grown dramatically since the beginning of the year.

In the first 7 days of the new year 2025, some Vietnamese travel companies welcomed a 50-70% increase in Indian visitors compared to December 2024.

In the first days of 2025, Indian guests were also the largest group staying at Flower Garden Hotel, Hanoi , accounting for 30%, according to Ms. Vu Thu Hien, Sales Director of the Northern region of TMG.

At the workshop "Promoting Vietnam - India Tourism in the New Context" on the morning of January 8 in Hanoi, Head of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) Secretariat Hoang Nhan Chinh pointed out that India is the market with the strongest recovery in Vietnam. In the top 20 markets, India has a recovery rate of 297% compared to 2019, Cambodia ranked second (208%). According to data from the General Statistics Office on January 6, India is also one of the 10 largest markets sending visitors to Vietnam in 2024, with more than 500,000 visitors out of a total of 17.6 million. India is considered a large market with great potential for the Vietnamese tourism industry.

Deputy General Director of Viet Tourism Pham Anh Vu said that Vietnam is a new destination for Indian tourists. After the pandemic, Vietnam has many flights to cities in the South Asian country, making travel between the two countries more convenient.

Researcher Nguyen Thi Hien, from the Center for Indian Studies (VCASI), Institute of South Asian, West Asian and African Studies, pointed out that 100% of Indian visitors participating in the survey said they liked Vietnam because of its friendly people. 53% said they liked the natural landscape and 44% liked the entertainment services, followed by the unique cuisine and hotel services.

"Vietnam has a very vibrant pace of life, motorbikes are always bustling," said Rakesh Revannasiddaiah, a 48-year-old Indian tourist, about his impressions of Vietnam. The male tourist, who traveled with his wife and son, loved Da Nang, the Cu Chi tunnels in Ho Chi Minh City, and Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi. Revannasiddaiah likes to go to Bui Vien Western Street because there are many restaurants serving Indian food. He said he will return to Vietnam and wants to bring his friends to visit Hoi An.

However, according to Mr. Vu, Indian tourists are divided into two groups: rich and ordinary tourists. The majority of tourists flocking to Vietnam are ordinary tourists who do not spend much. If we compare the economic benefits that this group of tourists brings with the costs of advertising and promotion, the results are not high. According to data from TAB, the Indian middle class will increase from 33% in 2022 to 46% in 2030. Therefore, Vietnam needs to come up with specific strategies that "hit" the needs of the "spending without thinking" group of tourists to bring the highest economic benefits.

"The advantage of Indian tourists is that they stay long, 7-8 days, and go to many places. We need to take advantage of this," said CEO Nguyen Son Thuy of Visit Indochina.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/khach-an-tang-truong-dot-bien-ngay-tu-dau-nam-3338515.html