Despite a record number of international visitors to Vietnam, tourism businesses are still suffering losses.

du lịch - Ảnh 1. — Foreign tourists visiting Gao Giong tourist area (Dong Thap) - Photo by TUNG THIEN

Despite the increasing number of visitors, tourism businesses are still suffering losses due to the lack of attractive mass tourism products and the rise of independent travel trends.

Foreign tourists prefer independent travel.

Mr. Pham Quy Huy, Director of Kiwi Travel Company, said that recently, the number of group travelers, especially MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourists, has shown a clear downward trend, and many businesses in the industry are facing a shortage of customers.

While this group is very willing to spend money on organizing large-scale events, booking luxury hotels, and using high-end services such as yachting, it brings in significant revenue for many businesses in the tourism, travel, and event organizing ecosystem. "Previously, MICE groups of 100-200 guests were extremely common. Now, getting a group of around 100 people is considered very good, it's rare," Mr. Huy said.

In contrast to the decline in group tours, especially high-end ones, the number of independent international tourists visiting Vietnam is increasing significantly. A characteristic of this group is that they rarely use services provided by travel companies.

They obtained their own visas thanks to the open policies, proactively used intermediary applications (from foreign companies such as Traveloka, Agoda, Booking...) to book flights and hotel rooms, and created their own itineraries instead of going on tours organized by Vietnamese travel companies.

"Overall, the number of international tourists entering Vietnam is high, but not all businesses in the tourism industry are benefiting well. Some are even experiencing revenue losses due to the rise of backpacking and independent travel," Mr. Huy said.

Mr. Tony Hung Tran, representative of Golden Smile Travel, said that many tourists complain that traditional tours lack novelty and have rigid itineraries, so they are switching to independent travel to have more control and suit their personal preferences. This has affected the revenue of many businesses, especially in the current difficult economic climate where customers are increasingly frugal and bargaining hard; even a price increase of 1-2 USD can result in losing customers.

Although businesses have tightened costs, Tony acknowledged that the pressure to lower prices is increasing. If they continue to engage in the price war, the quality of service risks declining, negatively impacting the image and competitiveness of the destination in the long term.

Finding ways to attract tourists' money amidst the turmoil.

Mr. Thi Quoc Duy, Director of BenThanh Tourist's Individual Travel Center, believes that the boom in independent travel is irreversible, as social media and digital platforms make it easy to find information and plan itineraries. Faced with this change, businesses are forced to adapt by developing "Free & Easy" packages and flexible products, serving both independent travelers and maintaining traditional tours.

Thanks to a strong shift towards the inbound market, BenThanh Tourist recorded a more than 100% increase in international visitors to Ho Chi Minh City compared to the same period last year, leading to a corresponding increase in revenue and profit. The customer base also expanded to many new markets such as Europe, India, and Chinese-speaking tourists, even successfully organizing a series of European tour packages.

According to Mr. Duy, this year's growth mainly comes from two pillars: developing differentiated products and boosting promotion on international channels. The company prioritizes experiences linked to local culture, such as farming in Tra Que (Hoi An), preparing Hoi An cuisine, or staying in homestays in the highlands during tours to northern provinces, meeting the demand for "authentic experiences" from international tourists. Seasonal products are also being developed - from tours to see flowers in Northwest Vietnam and the beaches of Central Vietnam to scenic autumn routes.

Regarding services, the company maintains close ties with airlines, hotels, and transportation providers, scheduling tours in advance to ensure consistent prices and quality. "No matter how good the program is, if the service isn't good, you won't retain customers," Mr. Duy emphasized.

According to businesses, the rise of independent travel and small tours has forced travel companies to change their operating methods, accepting groups of 1-2 people and implementing a "share tour" model so that tours can still depart even with only one person, and then adding more individual travelers later, optimizing costs while maintaining reasonable prices.

In addition, businesses are strengthening their links with online booking and tour platforms and collaborating with suppliers at destinations. "Instead of rigid, all-inclusive tours, the trend is towards flexible products that can be customized to the budget and needs of each customer group," said Mr. Tony Hung Tran.

Why do wealthy tourists only spend their money at street food stalls selling fried fish balls and generic souvenir shops...?

According to the 2024 Statistical Yearbook, the tourism industry's revenue picture does not match the potential number of visitors to Vietnam. Average spending in 2023 reached US$1,449.7, an increase of nearly 27% compared to before the pandemic, but changes in spending patterns make it difficult for businesses to benefit.

Budgets for accommodation, food, and shopping have decreased, while spending on out-of-town services, experiential tours, and entrance tickets has doubled. Notably, shopping spending has fallen to just 8.4%, the lowest level in many years, indicating that Vietnam has not yet become a competitive shopping destination like Thailand or Singapore.

The disparity between markets is also significant: American tourists spend nearly $4,800 per trip, three times the average, while larger groups like China and South Korea spend at a moderate or low rate. This is why, despite the high number of tourists, revenue in many service industries has not increased proportionally.

"These data reveal a paradox: international visitor numbers have increased to record levels, but changes in spending behavior have meant profits haven't improved as expected," experts noted.

Mr. Pham Quy Huy stated that many Vietnamese tourists traveling to South Korea are willing to spend several million dong extra each day on shopping, sometimes even doubling their tour costs. However, for foreign visitors to Vietnam, the question is: what do they buy, and what experiences do they have that would make them so enthusiastic about spending money?

According to Mr. Huy, shopping in Vietnam is not attractive enough, lacking international-standard shopping malls, with inconvenient tax refund policies and unexceptional products. Many night markets in Ho Chi Minh City are similar, lacking unique features; the stalls are repetitive, mainly selling affordable fast food, making it difficult to attract high-spending customers.

Similarly, in the Mekong Delta, many souvenir products cost only a few tens of thousands of dong, providing immediate income but failing to create sustainable value.

BONG MAI - NHAT XUAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khach-quoc-te-den-viet-nam-dong-ky-luc-nhung-doanh-nghiep-du-lich-van-that-thu-20251209230806086.htm