Efforts to restore the Russian tourist market

According to the plan, in the near future, two airlines Azur Air and Aeroflot will reopen direct flights from Russia to Cam Ranh. This is an opportunity for Khanh Hoa tourism industry to promote attracting tourists from the land of birch. To promote the recovery of the Russian tourist market, in March, the province will organize a trip to promote Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa tourism in Russia.

Russian tourists are a traditional tourist market for Khanh Hoa tourism in particular and Vietnam in general. Clear blue beaches, warm climate all year round and reasonable prices have helped Agarwood tourism attract Russian tourists. At its peak in 2019, Khanh Hoa welcomed nearly 463,000 Russian tourists, accounting for 71.6% of the total number of Russian tourists to Vietnam (646,524 tourists). At that time, Russia was the second largest international tourist market for Khanh Hoa tourism (after China). Not only did they have a large number of tourists, but Russian tourists also stayed for a long time, bringing in large revenue for the province's tourism industry. At the end of 2021, when the Covid-19 epidemic was basically under control, Russian tourist groups returned to Khanh Hoa under the "vaccine passport" tourism program organized by Anex Vietnam Tourism and Trading Company Limited. However, due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, direct flights from Russia to Khanh Hoa have been suspended since the beginning of 2022. Currently, Russian tourists traveling to Khanh Hoa must transit through a number of countries such as Kazakhstan, China... Due to the lack of direct flights, the number of Russian tourists to Khanh Hoa is still too small compared to its potential. According to a report by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in 2024, Khanh Hoa welcomed more than 105,500 Russian visitors, equal to 22.8% compared to 2019.

Russian tourists will fly directly to Khanh Hoa on Azur Air flights from mid-March.

The potential of the Russian tourist market is huge. Therefore, in recent times, Khanh Hoa tourism industry has made efforts to remove the bottleneck of direct flights to promote the recovery of the Russian tourist market. Aeroflot also plans to resume flights from Moscow to Cam Ranh with a frequency of 2 flights/week from March 2025. In particular, Anex Vietnam Tourism and Trading Company Limited has coordinated with Azur Air to plan to organize direct flights bringing Russian tourists to Cam Ranh from mid-March 2025. Mr. Bui Quoc Dai - Deputy Sales Director of Anex Vietnam Trading and Tourism Company Limited said: "The company will coordinate with Azur Air to organize flights from 11 Russian cities to Cam Ranh. It is expected that the frequency of flights in March and April will be about 30 - 35 flights/month; from May to June it will increase to 50 - 55 flights/month; from July to September it will operate 70 flights/month. Especially, when entering the winter tourist season (from October 2025), the number of flights can increase to 90 - 100 flights/month".

The news that Russian airlines have reopened direct flights to Khanh Hoa has made many tourism businesses very excited. Many units have upgraded and redesigned products and tours specifically for Russian guests. Mr. Pham Minh Nhut - Permanent Vice President of Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa Tourism Association shared: "Russian guests often stay from 7 to 14 days, much longer than Chinese or Korean guests. Russian guests also love to visit the sea and islands, experience recreational tourism services such as: diving, mud bathing, adventure sports, exploring nature at Hoa Lan Island, Ba Ho Tourist Area, Yang Bay Tourist Park... so the spending level for the trip is quite high. The Association has informed branches and businesses to prepare to welcome a large number of Russian guests in the coming time."

To promote the recovery of the Russian tourist market, the province and the tourism industry will step up promotion activities in the Russian market. According to Mr. Cung Quynh Anh - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in addition to the promotion activities of large enterprises, in March, the province will organize a delegation to work in the two cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia, including organizing a conference to promote Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa tourism in Moscow. Also within the framework of this trip, Khanh Hoa tourism businesses will attend the Moscow International Tourism Fair 2025 (one of the five largest tourism fairs in the world, held annually since 1994). This is an opportunity for Khanh Hoa tourism to promote and introduce outstanding tourism products and services to Russian travel companies, restoring and expanding the Russian tourist market after the recent difficult period.

According to research by the Khanh Hoa Tourism Industry, before the Covid-19 pandemic, Russian visitors to Khanh Hoa spent more than 1,500 USD/person (an average of more than 110 USD/day/guest). Therefore, the Khanh Hoa Tourism Industry is expecting that airlines reopening direct flights from Russia will not only contribute to increasing the number of international visitors to the land of Agarwood but also contribute greatly to the province's tourism revenue in the coming time. The recovery of the Russian tourist market (along with the Chinese tourist market) will also contribute to balancing the structure of the province's international tourist market, reducing dependence on the Korean tourist market, towards sustainable tourism development.

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