International tourists come to Hue by sea

Expand customer sources

After a period of market research and seeking cooperation opportunities, from around August to September 2024, the Hue branch of Vietnam - Hanoi Tourism Joint Stock Company brought tourists from Morocco and the Netherlands to Hue. Tourists mainly travel in groups of 6 - 8 people, preferring homestays and community-based ecotourism. Ms. Duong Thi Cong Ly, Director of the Hue branch of Vietnam - Hanoi Tourism Joint Stock Company, said that although there has not been an "explosion" from the new tourist market, there are still positive signs showing the potential of newly exploited markets.

For many years, the traditional international tourist markets to Hue have been Western European countries, North America and some Southeast Asian countries. In the early 2025 period, the top 10 international tourist markets recorded coming from the markets of countries and territories including: the US, France, Australia, Germany, the UK, Italy, Taiwan (China), Malaysia, South Korea, and China.

In 2024, Hue will attract nearly 3.9 million visitors, including nearly 1.45 million international visitors (an increase of 16.6%). Compared to the target of attracting 10-12 million tourists by 2030, an increase of 18-20% per year; of which international visitors account for 50-55%, it can be seen that the road ahead is still long and faces many challenges.

Introducing information for tourists coming to Hue

Mr. Do Ngoc Co, Chairman of the Hue City Tourism Association, assessed that traditional tourist markets can expand, but the current trend of sudden increase is not easy. At the conference on promoting, advertising and connecting Hue tourism 2024, Mr. Dao Trong Tung, General Director of Vietnam - Hanoi Tourism Corporation, also said that there are many reasons why traditional markets from Western Europe and North America are unlikely to make a breakthrough, including geographical distance leading to higher travel costs. On the other hand, competition from nearby destinations with similar tourism products is also a barrier.

In the context of fierce competition between destinations, the nearest target of attracting about 4.8-5 million tourists by 2025; of which international visitors account for about 38-40% is not too easy. To achieve the target, it is necessary to maintain and "deepen" the exploitation of familiar tourist markets, but it is still necessary to expand and find opportunities in potential tourist markets. In addition, it is also necessary to pay attention to products, maintain and develop domestic tourist markets.

Exploring new markets

The current trend is that tourists want to experience many destinations, which is also a challenge in retaining guests, but it is an opportunity for localities. One advantage is the connection and regional linkage that brings interesting tourism experiences. For example, the heritage road connecting the 5 localities of Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam is somewhat effective in promoting and attracting tourists. It is also an opportunity for localities to cooperate and exploit new markets.

In the goal of diversifying tourist sources, it is clear that markets that enjoy visa exemption policies when entering Vietnam with a temporary stay of up to 45 days, most recently Poland, Czech Republic, Switzerland... and countries with many direct flights to Vietnam have great potential. Notably, the development of the tourist market to Vietnam in recent times shows that India is also one of the tourist markets with strong potential for development. Currently, this country is becoming one of the 10 largest international tourist markets of Vietnam.

Or the Vietnamese tourism industry is witnessing the expansion of new markets, especially from Central Asia, Mongolia and the Middle East. In addition, the direction of exploiting luxury customers from the Middle East - a group of customers with high spending levels, the Halal tourism market (Muslim tourists) is also very potential.

However, one thing to consider is that expanding the market also means ensuring the requirements of each customer stream and each customer market. For example, for Halal customers, it is necessary to ensure standards of cuisine, prayer rooms, etc. Or for luxury Middle Eastern customers, it is necessary to invest in a system of hotels and restaurants that meet international standards, meeting the needs of cuisine, services and high-class experiences.

In fact, just for the Indian tourist market, recently we can see many visitors from this country coming to Da Nang, but not many coming to Hue because of the requirements for products and services. Exploiting the Indian market is actually not easy because tourists from this country have different cultural characteristics, beliefs, and living habits, requiring very strict services and standards. Language requirements are also a challenge when Hue's tourist attractions mainly use English. For Asian visitors, the need for tourism, culinary experiences, entertainment, and shopping is greater than exploring cultural experiences. However, Hue has a long-standing barrier: entertainment centers...

Hue tourism industry has determined to take cultural and heritage tourism as the foundation, while also adding many additional tourism products. Certainly, to attract a large number of tourists and develop the smokeless industry to a breakthrough, it is still necessary to call for strong investment, diversify the tourist market and have solutions to exploit new markets.

A representative of the Department of Tourism Planning and Development (Department of Tourism) said that in order to develop tourist markets, it is necessary to conduct market research through specific investigations and surveys. The tourism industry is researching and targeting key markets, target markets and potential markets to build suitable products, attracting tourists to Hue and spending more on tourism activities.

Huynh Phuc