According to many experts, with the recent growth rate of international visitors to Vietnam, it is likely that our country's tourism industry will complete the target of welcoming 18 million visitors this year, equivalent to the record increase before the Covid-19 pandemic (2019). Compared to the 2024 tourism target of some regional countries such as Thailand and Malaysia, this number is still very modest. Vietnam tourism still has a lot to do if it wants to become the leading international tourist destination in the region.
According to statistics released by digital travel platform Agoda on May 23 regarding the number of searches for accommodation by European tourists in April, the good news is that Vietnam saw a 66% increase in searches, ranking third in the list of Asian destinations attracting European tourists.
Among them, France, Germany, England, Netherlands, Spain... are the European countries with the highest number of searches for Vietnam tourism. This shows that Vietnam is attractive to international tourists, especially from countries with high spending levels like Europe. However, after the peak season for international visitors (usually from October of the previous year to the end of April of the following year), Vietnam's inbound tourism market is tending to be quieter.
The evidence is that in May 2024, Vietnam welcomed 1.4 million international visitors, an increase of 50% compared to the same period in 2023, but a decrease of 10% compared to April 2024. The problem is that there needs to be a solution to turn tourists' attention and interest into their travel decisions, helping to increase the number of international visitors to Vietnam, even during the low season.
According to many experts, the “openness” of visa policy is the first factor that Vietnam needs to pay attention to when it wants to welcome more visitors. This is also a “leverage” that many countries in the region have taken advantage of to attract international visitors. Looking at Vietnam’s number one “competitor” in tourism, Thailand, it can be seen that Thailand is always not afraid to launch strong, flexible policies related to visas.
Immediately after ending the 5-month visa exemption policy for Chinese visitors, Thailand "joined hands" with China to permanently exempt visas for citizens of both countries from March 2024. To attract and promote long-term tourists, from June 2024, Thailand will allow tourists from 93 countries (previously 57 countries) to stay for 60 days, citizens from many other countries are also eligible for visa approval at the border gate...
In our country, the changes in visa policy introduced recently have been much more open than before, contributing to the number of international visitors to Vietnam exceeding the target set for 2023 and continuing to grow quite positively in the first months of 2024. However, it is clear that Vietnam's visa policy is still unattractive, especially compared to some countries in the region.
Many analysts say that before the Covid-19 pandemic, tourists often planned their trips months or even months in advance. However, after the pandemic, tourists' travel decisions tend to be calculated by the day, so destinations with favorable opening policies will attract more tourists. That is why Vietnam needs to continue to conduct research to adjust its flexible visa policy to help attract a variety of potential tourist markets.
Lux Group Chairman Pham Ha suggested that at this time, Vietnam should focus on attracting visitors from some markets with good spending levels such as Australia and New Zealand. Major Vietnamese airlines all have flights to these countries, and it is currently winter in these countries, so tourists have a need to travel to warm and sunny regions like Vietnam. Mr. Ha said that visa exemption should be granted to citizens of these two countries, while at the same time conquering them with attractive beach resorts, cultural tourism, and culinary exploration products...
According to the Chairman of Lux Group, each market needs a different approach based on different studies of customer needs and preferences. In addition to developing a promotion strategy, advertising and building suitable products for each customer group, special attention should be paid to destination management, a weakness that has caused Vietnamese tourism to "lose points" in the eyes of international tourists in recent years. Good destination management will not only maintain its attractiveness but also ensure the sustainable development of tourism.
Ms. Luong Thi Hoang Lan, Director of Tourism and Resort Business of Sun Group Corporation, proposed that the Vietnam National Tourism Administration should become a "conductor" to implement promotional campaigns to key and potential international markets, mobilize the participation of domestic destinations, airlines and large tourism businesses to create a spreading power, and at the same time build highly competitive programs and products, capable of attracting tourists in target international markets.
Emphasizing the importance of aviation-tourism cooperation to bring tourists to Vietnam, Ms. Lan said that the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism need to coordinate with embassies in many key and potential international markets to find solutions to open more international flights to important destinations in Vietnam, such as Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Quang Ninh, Nha Trang..., to diversify and increase new tourist markets, limit dependence on some large traditional tourist markets such as China, Korea...
Many experts share that the growth of any tourist market at the present time (for example, Korea) can be saturated in the future, and this is the solution for Vietnam to seek new international markets that are strong enough to compensate when there are fluctuations.
Source: https://baolangson.vn/thu-hut-khach-quoc-te-den-viet-nam-5012849.html
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