Chinese tourist market growth not as expected

According to the Department of Tourism , from the beginning of the year to the end of August 2024, the whole province welcomed more than 465,500 Chinese visitors. Although it has increased compared to 2023, the number of visitors from the billion-people market is still much lower than before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Flights from China drop sharply

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, China was the largest market for tourism in Khanh Hoa . In 2019, Khanh Hoa welcomed more than 2.5 million Chinese visitors, accounting for more than 70% of international visitors to the province. Therefore, when the Covid-19 pandemic was controlled and China opened its international tourism market, many Vietnamese businesses had high hopes for the recovery of this tourist market. However, so far, the recovery of the billion-people tourist market has not been as expected and is unstable. According to Ms. Do Thi Van Anh - Deputy Director of Khang Thai Vietnam Travel Co., Ltd., this year, although the number of Chinese visitors has increased compared to 2023, it has not been as expected. Currently, the company welcomes about 1,500 - 2,000 Chinese visitors each month. Representatives of many businesses specializing in exploiting the Chinese tourist market said that after positive signals in early 2024, the number of Chinese tourists did not grow as well as expected, many units had to change their business plans.

According to statistics from the Department of Tourism, in the first 8 months of 2024, Khanh Hoa welcomed more than 465,500 Chinese visitors, equal to about 26.9% compared to the same period in 2019 (nearly 1.8 million visitors). The recovery rate of the Chinese tourist market of Khanh Hoa tourism is much lower than the overall recovery rate of the whole country (the number of visitors in 8 months is equal to 72.6% compared to 2019).

Chinese tourists walking around Nha Trang.

Not only has the recovery been lower than expected, the number of Chinese tourists to Khanh Hoa has also been unstable and has shown a sharp downward trend recently. According to information from Cam Ranh International Terminal Joint Stock Company, there are currently 7 airlines operating flights from China to Cam Ranh. From February to May 2024, there were an average of 13-15 flights/day from China to Cam Ranh; from June to now, there are only about 8 flights/day. Ms. Nguyen Thi Chung - representative of Vietjet Air in Khanh Hoa said that since the beginning of summer, Vietjet's flights from China to Cam Ranh have decreased significantly. Currently, the airline only has 1-2 flights/day from China to Cam Ranh. Vietjet's flight schedule in the last months of the year shows that the number of flights from the country of a billion people to Khanh Hoa has not increased, even though winter is the period when Chinese tourists travel internationally.

Need customer attraction strategy

According to representatives of travel agencies, Khanh Hoa tourism has the strength to welcome Chinese groups of tourists, mainly the middle class. Currently, due to economic difficulties, the Chinese middle class prioritizes domestic travel at low costs. In addition, Vietnamese tourism is facing fierce competition in exploiting the Chinese tourist market from countries in the Southeast Asian region such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, etc. In particular, Thailand has officially exempted visas for Chinese tourists from March 1, 2024. Singapore has launched many policies to attract tourists from China, from visa exemption, enhancing security and safety to promoting the organization of unique cultural and entertainment events to attract visitors. “Currently, many Chinese tourists prefer to go to Thailand. Thailand and Vietnam both have the advantage of being close to China, having short flights and many routes. However, Chinese tourists still need to apply for a visa to Vietnam while Thailand does not. The atmosphere in Thailand is also more vibrant and there are many attractive tourism products,” said Mr. Alex Do - representative of Charter Vietnam Tourism Joint Stock Company in Khanh Hoa.

Regarding the exploitation of the Chinese tourist market, Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Thanh - Director of the Department of Tourism said that although not as expected, the number of Chinese tourists to Khanh Hoa continued to increase quite high compared to 2023. Currently, the tourism industry is still promoting communication and promotion activities to attract Chinese tourists. In the context of the slow recovery of the Chinese tourist market, it will be very difficult to have a sudden growth in a short time. However, with the strength of sea and island tourism, in the long term, Khanh Hoa still has a great advantage in attracting tourists from the billion-people market. The tourism industry is calling on businesses to build new products suitable to tourists' tastes, and have policies to stimulate tourism in general and the Chinese tourist market in particular.

In the context of the slow recovery of the Chinese tourist market, Khanh Hoa tourism needs to change its strategy in exploiting the tourist market from this country. Many tourism experts believe that the needs and trends of the Chinese tourist market have changed, so suitable products are needed. The group of young tourists who prefer to travel independently and prioritize beautiful destinations need to invest more in advertising and communication on social networks. Instead of focusing on exploiting the flow of tourists traveling on cheap tours, Khanh Hoa tourism industry needs to improve the quality of tourism products and services, targeting Chinese tourists with high spending levels. High-end Chinese tourists will stay for a long time in 5-star hotels and resorts, and are willing to spend money on shopping...

According to statistics from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), in 2019, Vietnam welcomed 5.8 million Chinese visitors, accounting for 1/3 of the total number of international tourists. Currently, China is the second largest international tourist market for Vietnam tourism (after South Korea). By the end of August 2024, Vietnam had welcomed nearly 2.45 million Chinese visitors, an increase of 157.7% over the same period in 2023 and equal to 72.6% over the same period in 2019.

XUAN THANH

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/du-lich/202409/thi-truong-khach-trung-quoc-tang-truong-chua-nhu-ky-vong-4f46060/