Australian tourists are interested in Vietnam but admit that the majority still prioritize Bali (Indonesia) and Thailand when traveling.
A survey in September 9 by Escape - Australia's leading travel brand - shows that Vietnam is one of the top 2022 destinations for Australian tourists, next to countries such as India, Indonesia, and Thailand. Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics also show that in the first quarter, nearly 10 Australian tourists visited Vietnam, up 82.000% over the same period. One of the biggest reasons why Australians tend to go to Vietnam is cheap airfares.
Round-trip tickets from cities in Australia to Ho Chi Minh City are on average about $880. While summer airfares from Australia to Europe increased by 63% compared to before the epidemic, airfares to Vietnam increased by about 21%.
Grant Wilson, an Australian tourist who has lived in Vietnam for 6 years, shared that the economy in this country is not really good. Therefore, Australians are also looking to affordable travel countries in Southeast Asia. The concept of "affordable" can be understood as the price of a hotel room under 100 USD a night, meals costing 10 USD, round trip airfare under 1.000 USD. Of course, there are still wealthy Australians who choose to go to Japan, Europe or North America.
“Vietnam meets the criteria of affordable prices, impressive landscapes and countless beautiful beaches,” said Grant.
Grant Wilson (left) during his stay in Ho Chi Minh City. Image:Grant Wilson
This tourist likes Vietnam the most among Southeast Asian countries, but emphasizes that Australians still consider Bali (Indonesia) or Thailand as the top destinations. Not to mention the visa policy for retired foreigners with money from Indonesia or Thailand also makes Australian tourists prioritize these two destinations.
Rhonda Nichols, living in Far North Queensland (Australia), has been to Vietnam 6 times and usually stays for about 2-6 weeks. Last August, Nichols went to Vietnam as soon as he heard the news that tourism had reopened. Like Grant, he likes Vietnam the most among Southeast Asian countries, but it is undeniable that many Australians prefer Bali and Thailand.
“Don't become a place for drunken, loud Balinese or Thai tourists. Let's introduce Vietnam as a country with beautiful scenery, friendly people and the best food in the world," he said, emphasizing that Vietnam is only about two hours by flight from Bali. Therefore, it is "regrettable" to lose potential Australian tourists to Bali and Thailand.
Nichols said he understands that the main group of Vietnamese visitors are Chinese tourists. However, this tourist emphasized that Australians spend a lot when traveling and not all groups can compare. Nichols himself cannot remember how much money he spent on bars, restaurants, and tours during his time in Vietnam.
This tourist suggested that Vietnam should soon improve its online visa application (e-visa) browser, and at the same time remove the fee of about 25 USD to apply for a visa on arrival (visa at the airport or border gate). Thailand, Indonesia do not charge this fee and that "clearly creates a lot more sympathy for tourists". In addition, Nichols said Vietnam needs to seriously consider increasing the length of stay for foreign guests because 30 days like now is too short.
According to the report presented by Minister of Public Security To Lam to the National Assembly on the morning of May 27, the Government proposed to increase the duration of electronic visas from no more than 5 days to a maximum of 30 months; electronic visa (e-visa) is valid for many times instead of one time as before; Expand the scope of e-visa (currently 3 countries). The Drafting Board proposes to increase the temporary stay period for people entering the country under the visa exemption scheme from 80 to 15 days. This content will be discussed by the National Assembly on June 45 and voted on on the morning of June 2.
Travel companies in Vietnam that do business in the inbound segment also identify Australia as the top market to target. Ms. Pham Phuong Anh, deputy director of Vietnam Tourism Company, said that the interest from Australian partners has increased sharply since the second quarter because the flight routes from Vietnam have become much more diversified. Compared to the first quarter, the amount of interest has increased by more than 30%.
Before the epidemic, there was only one Vietnamese airline that had direct flights to Australia, other flights often had to transit quite time-consuming. Currently, there are two other airlines opening direct flights, increasing choices for customers.
Competition between airlines also makes prices more reasonable. The price of a round-trip air ticket to Australia - Vietnam before the epidemic was about 20-25 million VND, but now this number has decreased to 10-15 million VND. On the other hand, destinations like Europe and America are also relatively saturated with Australians, so a new country like Vietnam will have more advantages.
Ms. Phuong Anh also added that Australia is a "spending" market and likes to relax. Australians have two big holidays in a year, summer and winter. Australia's winter is Vietnam's summer and vice versa. This can be seen as an advantage in attracting a group of guests from "the land of kangaroos".
Meanwhile, Lux Travel DMC, a unit specializing in providing high-class yacht resort services, also targets the Australian market and considers this an important target. In the near future, this company will set up a representative office in Australia, promoting tourism products on special requirements to increase attraction.
5-star cruise on Lan Ha Bay. Image: Pham Ha
Mr. Pham Ha, CEO of Lux Travel DMC, said Australian tourists are a group of tourists who like quality and small group travel. They are paying great attention to two resorts, Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) and Phu Quoc (Kien Giang).
In addition, businesses exploiting the Australian market commented that they also like Hanoi, the northern provinces, Da Nang, Hoi An (Quang Nam) and the Mekong Delta region because of its different culture. However, Vietnam does not have many new services for customers to spend money and tourism products have not really made a breakthrough compared to before the epidemic.
Answer VnExpress, a representative of Vietnam Tourism emphasized that Vietnam has a significant advantage compared to Bali or Thailand. Both of these destinations are old and familiar to most international visitors. Vietnam has more scenic spots, more impressive landscapes, all four seasons have something to experience while Bali, Thailand is only strong in summer vacation. Besides, direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi to Melbourne and Sydney also create conditions for Vietnam to compete with Bali and Thailand.
However, the most important thing at this time is that the visa policy needs to be open and transparent. As Nichols commented, Ms. Phuong Anh also received similar complaints from her Australian partner about the length of stay was too short and the visa application procedure was "a bit confusing". A representative of this company said that although the amount of interest increased by more than 30% compared to the first quarter, the actual number of bookings was still limited.
Because international tourists have a habit of booking tours far away, currently, it is difficult to attract tourists on winter break in Australia to Vietnam. Phuong Anh's company is focusing on booking requests at the end of the year and expects a change in visa policy soon to attract visitors.
Tu Nguyen
