Tapping into the Indian tourist market: A bold move is needed.

The number of Indian tourists visiting Vietnam is growing rapidly, yet Khanh Hoa province has not yet attracted many visitors from this potential market. To make India a significant tourist market for Khanh Hoa, the province's tourism industry still has much work to do.

Opening up great opportunities

In recent years, India has become an important source market for Vietnamese tourism . Before the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2019, Vietnam only welcomed 168,998 Indian tourists. By 2025, this number had surged to 746,480, a fourfold increase, placing India in sixth position among the top 10 source markets for Vietnamese tourists. In the first four months of 2026 alone, 324,394 Indian tourists visited Vietnam, a 59.1% increase compared to the same period last year. These figures confirm that India is becoming one of the fastest-growing source markets for Vietnamese tourism.

Leaders of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Provincial Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion welcomed the Indian famtrip delegation.

During the recent visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to India, the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Indian Ministry of Tourism signed a Memorandum of Understanding on tourism cooperation, agreeing to promote sustainable two-way tourism, including cultural, heritage, medical, and healthcare tourism. This is not just a routine diplomatic procedure, but also a basis for increasing visitor exchanges and expanding tourism cooperation, a very significant signal for localities wishing to tap into this market.

The appeal of the Indian market lies not only in its numbers. With a rapidly expanding middle and wealthy class, Indian tourists are increasingly inclined to spend more, especially in the wedding tourism, beach resort, and wellness tourism segments – areas where Vietnam possesses strengths. Many tourism experts believe this is a "gold mine" that major tourist centers around the world are vying to exploit, and Vietnam is facing a rare opportunity to welcome this influx of tourists. In Vietnam, Da Nang and Phu Quoc (An Giang) have already capitalized on wedding tourism targeting Indian tourists.

There are still many difficulties.

Despite this bright picture, Khanh Hoa province has yet to attract Indian tourists. According to statistics from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in 2025, the province only welcomed 7,618 Indian visitors – a very modest number compared to its potential. In the first four months of 2026, the province welcomed 3,038 visitors, an increase of over 23% compared to the same period last year, but still far from the national average growth rate.

Over the years, the Provincial People's Committee and the tourism industry have organized promotional conferences in India, welcomed many famtrip delegations from travel businesses to survey Khanh Hoa's tourism products; and worked with Vietnamese and Indian airlines to work towards opening direct flights... Notably, in early October 2025, the Provincial Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center, in coordination with businesses, welcomed a famtrip delegation of 42 leading Indian wedding organizers to survey and discuss cooperation in organizing high-end tours at 5-star resorts. The delegation highly appreciated the potential for organizing weddings for wealthy Indian clients in Khanh Hoa, especially the 5-day, 4-night wedding model with 400-500 guests. However, to date, no wedding has actually been held. The biggest bottleneck identified is the lack of direct flights. "Indian tourism businesses highly appreciate the tourism potential of Khanh Hoa, but the lack of direct flights has almost completely closed the door to attracting Indian tourists. Indian tourists typically travel for 5-7 days and like to visit multiple destinations. Having to transit to Nha Trang becomes a major obstacle. Therefore, instead of coming to Khanh Hoa, they choose other destinations with more convenient connections."   Mr. Phan Dinh Thao - General Director of HTS International Travel Company to state.

Indian couple to hold wedding reception at resort in Da Nang in early 2026.

Furthermore, according to tourism experts, the recognition of Khanh Hoa tourism in the Indian market is still very low. While Da Nang, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City have become familiar names, Khanh Hoa remains a relatively obscure destination for most Indian tourists. In the Khanh Hoa Tourism Development Strategy for the period 2025-2030, with a vision to 2045, experts from Simon-Kucher (the consulting firm) assessed that the Indian market has strong long-term potential, but due to limitations in connectivity, the number of tourists visiting Khanh Hoa remains low.

According to Mr. Truong Van Tien, Director of the Khanh Hoa Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center, to open up the Indian tourist market, the province's tourism industry needs bolder steps and more decisive actions: removing bottlenecks in air routes, creating events to stimulate demand, and strengthening connections with travel agencies in major cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. Simultaneously, it is necessary to regularly connect with businesses specializing in organizing services for wealthy Indian tourists; offer preferential policies to attract Indian travel agencies; train professional personnel; and prepare facilities capable of accommodating large groups of tourists. Having previously hosted an Indian famtrip delegation, Mr. Le Dai Hai, General Manager of the resort, shared his experience.   Ana Mandara Cam Ranh shared: “One of the biggest challenges when welcoming tourists from India is the diversity and strictness of tastes, religions, and dietary habits between regions. To attract Indian tourists, Khanh Hoa tourism needs to train its workforce, including understanding the culture, habits, and psychology of customers to ensure sophisticated service. To achieve this, a specific plan is needed...”

With the Memorandum of Understanding on tourism cooperation recently signed by the two governments, the "door" to attracting Indian tourists is wide open. This is the time for Khanh Hoa to act decisively to avoid missing out on this rapidly growing influx of tourists, aiming for a diverse, sustainable tourist structure that is not dependent on a few traditional markets.

XUAN THANH

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/du-lich/202605/khai-thac-thi-truong-khach-an-do-can-buoc-di-manh-me-5b042c7/