Why is tourism in Thailand so popular?

The difference is quite large.

According to data reported by the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports , from January to April 2024, approximately 290,000 Vietnamese tourists visited Thailand, a decrease of 5.4% compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, in the first four months of the year, only 164,000 Thai tourists visited Vietnam, a decrease of 18% compared to the same period in 2023.

According to the recently published report "Outbound Travel Trends of Vietnamese Tourists - Summer 2024" by The Outbox Company (a market research and tourism data analysis company in Vietnam), Vietnamese tourists generally remain loyal to traditional destinations such as South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and especially Thailand.

Vietnamese tourists in Thailand. (Photo: Hoang Minh).

Among Vietnamese tourists planning to travel abroad within the next 12 months, 79.7% intend to take their trip this summer. Notably, 22.2% of those surveyed have already booked their trips.

These figures show that the demand for overseas travel, especially during the summer, among Vietnamese tourists is increasing significantly, far exceeding that of Thai people. However, these figures should also give those in the Vietnamese tourism industry something to think about.

Returning to the "discrepancy" between the number of Vietnamese and Thai tourists, from the perspective of a travel business, Sunvina CEO Ta Huu Chien observes that Thai services are actually well-suited to the needs of Vietnamese people, from cuisine to entertainment... Especially the professionalism in service. Along with that, Thailand's communication and promotion efforts are very strong. Therefore, the "Land of the Golden Temples" always attracts a large number of tourists.

The power of 5F

According to Mr. Chien, in order to attract foreign tourists in general and tourists from Thailand in particular to Vietnam, the authorities need to have a coordinated approach. Along with ensuring competitive prices for services, immigration policies, administrative procedures such as tax exemptions and reductions, and airfare prices need to be improved.

“Services need to be interconnected to create products with more attractive prices. In Thailand, to create competitive prices, tours are supported by shopping destinations. This allows travel companies to balance their finances and maintain marketing and promotional activities,” Mr. Chien said.

Thailand's tourism industry is competitive due to the diversity of experiences it offers tourists. (Photo: Hoang Minh)

Sharing the same viewpoint, in an interview with Dai Doan Ket Newspaper, Le Cong Nang, General Director of WonderTour Travel Company, stated that Thailand consistently ranks among the top 5 countries with the highest tourism revenue in the world, exceeding $63 billion. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, even during its peak tourism season in 2019, Vietnam only welcomed approximately 19 million international visitors. It can be said that, at any given time, the number of international tourists visiting Thailand is approximately twice that of Vietnam. Therefore, it is not surprising that in the first four months of 2024, Vietnam welcomed 164,000 Thai tourists while Thailand welcomed 290,000 Vietnamese tourists.

According to Mr. Nang, the reasons for this "difficulty" are, firstly, Thailand's strong tourism promotion efforts with a focused strategy and large budget. In 2023, Thailand spent $93 million on promoting and developing sustainable tourism based on meaningful experiences and leveraging its 5F soft power platform – Cuisine, Film, Festivals, Muay Thai, and Fashion. Secondly, the relatively high cost of domestic airfares in Vietnam hinders international tourists from undertaking longer trips to tourist cities.

Invest $93 million to earn $63 billion.

Some experts suggest that, in order to attract international tourists to Vietnam in the coming period, specifically the last six months of the year, we need to strengthen tourism promotion activities targeting potential markets, especially exploiting the advantages of beach resort tourism. Relevant management agencies need to provide guidance and coordinate efforts to create competitive tourism products in terms of price and quality, based on a comprehensive approach that balances the interests of travel agencies, transportation companies, and destination tourism businesses.

Thailand's infrastructure and tourist destinations are very well-invested in. (Photo: Hoang Minh)

According to Pham Hai Quynh, Director of the Asian Tourism Development Institute (ATI) and President of the Vietnam Community Tourism Association (VCTC), one of the important reasons is that airfares from Vietnam to Thailand are often cheaper than domestic travel. Thailand has always been a very attractive tourist destination, especially due to its excellent subsidies to attract visitors. Alongside attracting tourists, they improve infrastructure, develop tourist destinations that suit market trends, create diverse experiences, and build numerous shopping centers to maximize the resources invested in attracting visitors.

Thailand boasts a diverse and rich range of tourism activities, from culture and cuisine to stunning natural landscapes, attracting a wide variety of tourists, including Vietnamese visitors. Thailand's marketing and promotional strategies are also highly regarded. This overview of Thai tourism provides a clearer picture of Vietnam's current tourism landscape.

Tourists have many experiences when visiting Thailand. (Photo by Hoang Minh)

According to Mr. Quynh, Vietnam needs to invest in upgrading its transportation system, especially air routes and airports, to reduce transportation costs and increase competitiveness with other tourist destinations. Cooperation with tourism partners in Thailand is necessary to develop high-quality and attractive tour packages for tourists, while also creating joint marketing strategies to attract tourists from Thailand. International tourists can be attracted by developing community-based and sustainable tourism, such as ecotourism and cultural tourism, creating unique experiences for visitors and protecting the country's natural resources. In particular, upgrading tourism infrastructure and improving the quality of human resources in the tourism industry is also a very important issue at this time.

Currently, China, Thailand, South Korea, and other countries are actively organizing Famtrip tours to attract Vietnamese travel agents and tour operators with significant cost support, such as the Chongqing - Jiuzhaigou Famtrip (China) for only 7.9 million VND, or the Kanchanburi Famtrip (Thailand) also starting from 7.9 million VND…

“Thailand spends $93 million on tourism promotion but generates revenue of up to $63 billion. Vietnam has revenue of over $26 billion but its tourism promotion budget is only about $2 million. So, from a holistic business perspective, can we invest more to achieve greater revenue?” - Mr. Nang shared.

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Looking at the trends during the recent April 30th and May 1st holidays reveals a shift in the travel preferences and tour choices of Vietnamese people. With rising airfares, a large number of tourists have opted for travel by train or bus. Clearly, compared to previous years,
People's travel preferences have become more diverse, requiring tourism professionals to be flexible and creative in developing products and stimulating tourism demand.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/vi-sao-du-lich-thai-lan-hut-khach-10282222.html