In the first two months of the year, Vietnam welcomed more than 3 million international visitors, of which 2.6 million entered by air, accounting for 84.2%, according to the General Statistics Office.
Figures released by the General Statistics Office on March 1 show that the number of visitors arriving by air increased 1.6 times compared to the same period in 2023. Meanwhile, only more than 388,600 arrived by road and the rest by sea. Explaining why the number of visitors traveling by air continues to increase despite the economic recession, a representative of the General Statistics Office said that this means of transport helps visitors flexibly choose their time and location. In addition, international visitors also appreciate more attentive and clean service compared to other means of transport.
More than 84% of tourists choose to come to Vietnam by air. Photo: Bao Nam
According to the General Statistics Office, South Korea remains the largest international tourist market to Vietnam in the first two months of 2024 with more than 844,000 arrivals, up 35% over the same period last year and higher than the nearly 800,000 arrivals in the first two months of 2019.
The markets sending the most visitors to Vietnam include: China, the US, Japan, India. Of which, India is a potential market for Vietnamese tourism, increasing by 231% compared to 2019. Explaining this, Ms. Bui Thi Tua, Sales Director of Threeland Travel - a unit specializing in welcoming Indian guests, said the main reason is the connection of direct flights from Vietnam to New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kochi and Tiruchirappalli of Vietnamese airlines, helping airfares to be 30 - 50% lower than before 2019.
Expanding its market to India since 2019, Vietjet Air currently connects Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with five major cities here. This airline also pioneered the opening of the first routes connecting Ahmedabad, Kochi and Tiruchirappalli with Vietnam, opening up opportunities for easy travel, tourism and trade between localities of the two countries.
Besides India, the number of visitors from Australia also recorded strong growth. As of March, airlines provided 153,000 seats between Vietnam and Australia, far exceeding the pre-pandemic level of 61,000 in March 2019.
Vietnamese airlines are always proactive in expanding their markets, adding new routes and accompanying activities to promote Vietnamese tourism. In the first months of the year, Vietjet launched a series of new routes such as Ho Chi Minh City - Chengdu (China), Ho Chi Minh City - Vientiane (Laos), opened ticket sales and prepared to launch the Hanoi - Hiroshima (Japan) route in May and launch two routes Hanoi - Melbourne, Hanoi - Sydney in June...
The policy of promoting and advertising Vietnam as a safe destination is also the reason why the tourism industry has welcomed the number of visitors back to the pre-pandemic level. Besides, Vietnam is also a new destination in Asia, possessing many unique and famous landscapes such as Ha Long Bay, Tam Coc, Trang An...
On the other hand, tourism, travel and aviation businesses are also actively researching the market and coming up with suitable solutions to increase Vietnam's attractiveness. Mr. Iko Putera, Director of Traveloka's transportation division, said that the company's goal is to provide optimal travel experiences for users, contributing to the sustainable growth of Vietnam's tourism industry. The company continuously cooperates with stakeholders to promote digital transformation in the industry, thereby bringing benefits to users, its partner network and operating countries.
Also to attract this market, Vietluxtour is actively renewing high-end resort products in 5-star resorts, luxury yachts, wedding tourism, MICE tours... In particular, the staff serving the Indian, Chinese, and Korean markets are focused on investing in in-depth training in foreign languages, tourism knowledge, culture, cuisine... to exploit effectively and sustainably.
In addition to traditional products, travel companies are diversifying their products to meet more customer segments. Most travel companies now cooperate with airlines in both Vietnam and internationally to have more preferential prices. Through this combination, they can optimize travel initiatives for customers, expanding their scope of operations beyond the Vietnamese market.
In the "Draft Report on the implementation of tasks in 2023 and the deployment of directions and tasks in 2024" announced by the National Tourism Administration in December 2023, the tourism industry aims to welcome 17-18 million international visitors in 2024. With this goal, Vietnamese tourism is expected to recover 95-100% compared to 2019. In 2023, Vietnam will welcome 12.6 million visitors, exceeding the target set at the beginning of the year of 8 million and equal to 70% of 2019.
Vietnam has been highly appreciated by international media in recent times. Lonely Planet travel magazine has recommended Vietnam as one of the top 10 attractive destinations for graduates. Tripadvisor's Travelers' Choice Awards Best of the Best also ranked An Bang beach 5th in the list of top 10 beaches in Asia. Most recently, at the 4th World MICE Awards held on March 6 in Germany, Ho Chi Minh City won the title of Best MICE Destination in Asia 2023; Hoi An won the title of Best Business Resort Destination in Asia 2023.
Thanh Thu
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