What can Vietnam's tourism industry gain from Kuwaiti people's travel habits?

For those working in the Vietnamese tourism industry, learning about tourists from the Gulf is always necessary, although not easy.

Through many promotional activities and contacts of the Vietnamese Embassy in Kuwait and a number of travel companies of the two countries in recent years, more and more Kuwaitis are learning about Vietnam and wishing to visit the beautiful landscapes and enjoy the culture of this country.

“I am looking for…”

Every Kuwaiti excursion, since the early 18th century – when the land had not yet become the Kuwait of today – was not just a simple sightseeing trip. The resourcefulness and ingenuity of the Kuwaiti people required a compelling reason for the lands they visited, an impressive story to tell at meetings.

For Mr. Luai Al-Qattan - a person who has been to Vietnam and fallen in love with this country, he is looking for a land with unique products that have consumption value for the Kuwaiti people. Mr. Luai's story about the delicious taste of Vietnamese coffee, along with the beauty through the photos he took, has convinced even his business partners.

The result of that persuasion is a group trip, scheduled for later this year.

Mr. Luai Al-Qattan on a visit to a tea hill in Son La to research products with a partner business.

For Saleh Al-Shahabb, who recently had a summer trip to Vietnam, what impressed him most was the beauty of the luxury tourist destinations along the coast.

The summer temperatures in Vietnam, although hot, feel different from the record-breaking heat in Kuwait, and this does not bother Saleh too much. “Kuwait people like to go to beach destinations,” he affirmed.

Some pictures from Saleh Al-Shahabb's exciting trip.

Previously in 2019, Fatima Almattar, a famous Kuwaiti blogger, traveled to Vietnam through many cities and landscapes from North to South and shared interesting stories on her Instagram channel.

It can be said that Fatima Almattar's adventure has contributed to creating a new trend of Kuwaiti tourists choosing Vietnam as their vacation destination.

Mr. Saleh Al-Shahabb enjoys Vietnamese coffee.

The stories shared by Luai Al-Qattan, Saleh Al-Shahabb and Fatima Almattar represent three of the many different concerns that Kuwaitis have when choosing a destination for their vacation. The appeal of their stories has been spread through exchanges and meetings, and is what has helped attract more people here to Vietnam since the beginning of this year.

Records from a number of travel agencies in Kuwait and Vietnam show that in the past summer months, the rate of Kuwaiti locals choosing Vietnam for tourism has increased impressively.

Money must go with quality

High currency value, abundant income, and the lack of diverse domestic entertainment options are the reasons why for many years, Kuwaitis have chosen traveling as the best way to enjoy vacations around the world .

Kuwaiti people’s total annual tourism spending as of the third quarter of 2022 has reached KD 3.14 billion (USD 10.23 billion). These impressive figures and information are certainly convincing reasons for the Vietnamese tourism industry to seek ways to “invite” customers from Kuwait in particular, as well as from the Gulf region in general.

Besides a few tourists who want to explore new lands and are passionate about traveling on the roads, what can keep most Kuwaitis in Vietnam is the convenience, professionalism, friendliness, and hospitality in the way they serve.

With high income, many tourists are willing to bring their whole family along on a vacation, choosing top luxury hotels, restaurants, and resorts in the hope of a truly relaxing vacation. A professional and enthusiastic service from the smallest details will "score points" with tourists who have this habit.

Saleh Al-Shahabb relaxes at a seaside resort.

With tour and group travel activities, it is important for travel companies to note the time to explore each location. The desire for comfort of Kuwaitis in particular and Gulf people in general requires each stop to last at least 3-4 days.

The longest possible length of stay in Kuwait can be up to 4 weeks, which is enough time for travel companies to offer long-term vacation packages with full amenities for tourists.

Stimulating spending also needs to be focused on shopping destinations in tourist areas. Kuwaitis’ shopping habits are especially reflected in the fact that their luggage after each trip is always full of “spoils” of unique local products and items, thereby helping them to “flex” (show off) to friends and relatives at home.

Local specialties, from restaurant dishes to souvenirs and resort services, will help increase revenue from tourism activities.

One of many posts by Fatima Almattar about Vietnam on her Instagram channel @hello965.

One important factor to note – especially in the context of modern technologies that make information sharing faster – is the willingness of Kuwaitis to share every moment of their trip on social networks such as Instagram, Snapchat, etc.

Therefore, focusing on satisfying visitors, from taking care of small but delicate details at tourist destinations, service attitude, to renovating tourist attractions, building new tourist experiences will help promote this good "habit" and spread the beauty of Vietnam more effectively.

Create cultural experiences to attract tourists

After the Covid-19 epidemic was controlled in most countries around the world, people's travel needs were increased, and it was a good opportunity for countries with developing tourism industries like Vietnam to improve their image, take advantage of the opportunity to create a "boom" for the tourism industry, contributing to economic development.

One of the things that needs to be done to stimulate this “explosion” is to promote Vietnamese culture, bringing Vietnamese experiences to countries around the world, especially areas that still do not know much about Vietnamese culture, including the Gulf region in general and Kuwait in particular.

In recent times, the Vietnamese Embassy in Kuwait has organized many cultural promotion activities, combining music, fashion, cuisine, etc. in the same space, so that Kuwaiti people and international friends have the opportunity to get acquainted with the country's culture.

Vietnamese cuisine served by Vietnamese chefs at a tourism promotion event held earlier this year.

It is from these cultural promotion events that the Vietnamese tourism industry has welcomed more visitors with a special love for the S-shaped country. If before the image of Vietnam was still strange to them, after the cultural experience events, accessing Vietnam has become easier, as well as gradually becoming the desire of many tourists. From here, travel companies have more information about the customers they serve, thereby building tourism products more suitable for the market they are targeting.

After all, developing the tourism industry, especially attracting tourists from the wealthy Gulf countries, requires more than just individual cultural promotion events. There needs to be a systematic and careful strategy for developing the tourism industry and promoting the country so that the relevant parties can coordinate better, thereby helping to reap clear results.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nganh-du-lich-viet-nam-khai-thac-duoc-gi-tu-thoi-quen-chu-du-cua-nguoi-kuwait-236961.html