Efforts to attract Australian tourists

Recently, the provincial tourism industry has intensified its promotional activities to attract Australian tourists. It is expected that in October, the province will organize a delegation to Sydney (Australia) to promote tourism and connect with tourists from Australia to bring them to Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa.

Recently, Zazen Travel took several Australian tourists on a tour of mango orchards in Cam Lam. The Australian tourists thoroughly enjoyed visiting the mango orchards while exploring the local culture. According to Ms. Christina Nguyen, Director of Zazen Travel Co., Ltd., with a population of over 25 million, Australia is a very promising market for Vietnamese tourism in general and Khanh Hoa in particular. Australian tourists tend to stay longer and have high spending power. However, currently, the number of Australian tourists visiting Khanh Hoa is not high due to the lack of direct flights from Australia.

Representatives from CVFR Company signed a memorandum of cooperation with Bamboo Airways and HTS International Co., Ltd. regarding the organization of tours bringing Australian tourists to Vietnam.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Thanh, Director of the Department of Tourism, before 2016, Australia was one of the main international tourist markets for the province's tourism industry. However, due to some objective reasons, the number of Australian tourists has gradually decreased. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of Australian tourists visiting Khanh Hoa remains quite low. Therefore, the tourism industry is stepping up its promotional efforts to expand the tourist market from Australia. According to the plan, from October 17th to 21st, the province will organize a delegation to promote tourism in Sydney (Australia). It is expected that about 20 leading travel agencies from Sydney will participate, learn about Khanh Hoa tourism, and discuss cooperation to bring Australian tourists to Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa. Based on observations, Australian tourists are very interested in relaxing, exploring the local nature and culture. These are the strengths of Khanh Hoa tourism, so the provincial tourism industry is confident that it will attract Australian tourists to Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa in the near future.

Previously, in May and September 2023, famtrip groups from Australian travel agencies visited Khanh Hoa to survey its tourism products. During the survey trip in early September, 15 travel agencies from Sydney and Melbourne (Australia) experienced tourism services at resorts such as Alma and Ana Mandara Cam Ranh (Bai Dai Beach, Cam Lam), took adventure tours at Kong Forest Park, shopped at shopping malls in Nha Trang City, and visited the Samadhi spa of Asia Tourist… Ms. Denise Gebrael - Marketing Director of CVFR (leader of the Australian travel agency famtrip group) assessed that Khanh Hoa tourism boasts beautiful scenery, high-class accommodation services, and diverse cuisine… making it very suitable for Australian tourists. However, Australians are not yet very familiar with Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa tourism, so more promotion is needed. During this trip, Australian travel businesses also held discussions on cooperation with tourism businesses in Khanh Hoa. Specifically, CVFR signed a memorandum of understanding with Bamboo Airways and HTS International Co., Ltd. regarding the organization of tours bringing Australian tourists to Vietnam, with a focus on Khanh Hoa.

In exploiting the Australian tourist market, the lack of direct flights to Khanh Hoa is a bottleneck that needs to be addressed soon. However, Ms. Denise Gebrael believes that the flight route is not the deciding factor; what matters is information and the attractiveness of the destination. Australian tourists often travel for extended periods, so Khanh Hoa tourism can leverage flights from Australia to Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang to capitalize on this. Currently, Australian travel agencies are collaborating with HTS International Co., Ltd. to organize tours for Australian tourists to Vietnam via commercial flights connecting major Australian cities with Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hanoi, and Khanh Hoa will be a stopover point for Australian tourists visiting Vietnam. “The company and its partners have planned to organize cross-Vietnam tours (14 days), and tours of the South-Central and North-Central regions (9 days). Australian tourists on cross-Vietnam and South-Central tours will visit Khanh Hoa. These tours are expected to be launched from the beginning of 2024,” shared Mr. Phan Dinh Thao, General Director of HTS International Co., Ltd.

In 2019, Vietnam welcomed approximately 383,500 Australian tourists. Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of Australian tourists dropped sharply, reaching nearly 145,000 in 2022. With the restoration of flights between major Australian cities and Vietnam, the number of Australian tourists has grown again. According to statistics from the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, in the first eight months of 2023, Vietnam welcomed nearly 252,000 Australian tourists, an increase of over 92% compared to the same period in 2022.

XUAN THANH

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