Thanks to the new visa policy, Maria Sanchez came to Vietnam, stayed for three weeks before going to Cambodia for a week and then re-entering Vietnam to attend a conference.
“It makes planning a trip easier,” Spanish tourist Maria Sanchez said of her trip earlier this year. The 45-day visa allows her to travel comfortably, staying in cities longer without worrying about her visa expiring.
From August 15, 2023, Vietnam will increase the temporary stay period from 15 to 45 days for citizens of 13 unilateral visa-free countries including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Belarus. Vietnam also applies electronic visas (e-visas) to citizens of all countries and territories at 13 airports, 13 seaports, and 16 land ports; the temporary stay period is increased from 30 days to 90 days and the visa is valid for multiple entries.
"The new policy helps save time and effort for tourists when applying for visas, creating a significant attraction for the Vietnamese tourism industry," commented Director of the Asian Tourism Development Institute Pham Hai Quynh.
Head of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) Secretariat Hoang Nhan Chinh said the relaxed visa policy has contributed significantly to attracting international visitors. In the year since the visa relaxation, international visitors increased significantly. From August 1, 2023 to July 31, 2024, Vietnam welcomed nearly 16 million international visitors, equal to nearly 99% compared to the same period in 2018-2019, the time before Covid-19.
In the first 7 months of the year, the number of international visitors reached nearly 10 million, equal to 102% compared to the same period in 2019. The number of visitors from 13 countries with unilateral visa exemption reached more than 3.7 million, an increase of nearly 1.4 times compared to the same period in 2023 and accounting for 37% of the market share of international visitors to Vietnam.
Countries with unilateral visa exemptions are also among the top growth markets in the first 7 months of the year, according to the Tourism Department. South Korea grew 37% compared to the same period in 2023, followed by Japan (34%), Russia (75%), Italy (61%), Spain (38%), France (33%), Germany (27%), Sweden (27%), Denmark (26%), UK (25%), Norway (21%).
The new visa policy also helps travel companies exploit the inbound market (international arrivals) more effectively. Vietluxtour Communications Director Tran Thi Bao Thu said that during the peak period of international visitors (October 2023 - April 2024), the number of visitors at the company increased by 45% compared to the same period (October 2022 - April 2023). In the first 7 months of the year, international visitors booking tours at Vietluxtour increased by 50% compared to the same period last year, the strongest increase was from European markets such as France and Germany - two countries on the list of 13 countries enjoying the new visa policy. The remaining 11 countries increased by about 30% compared to the same period in 2023.
Vietravel Tourism Company Deputy General Director Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang said that during the peak season, the company welcomed more than 9,000 international visitors, an increase of more than 250% over the same period last year (October 2022 - April 2023). In the first 7 months of this year, Vietravel welcomed more than 10,000 visitors, an increase of more than 220% over the same period in 2023, of which the largest Asian visitor markets are Japan and Korea, two markets enjoying the new visa policy. The number of visitors from 13 countries enjoying the policy of extending the period of stay at Vietravel in the first 7 months of the year increased by more than 300% over the same period.
General Director of Vivu Journeys Vietnam, a unit specializing in welcoming international visitors to Vietnam, Thuy Tran said that their number of international visitors this year reached 10,000, double compared to the same period last year.
Ms. Hoang believes that with the relaxed visa policy and efforts to connect markets, the Vietnamese tourism industry is likely to exceed the target of welcoming 17-18 million international visitors this year.
Customer quality international visitors also increased, according to Mr. Chinh. Extending the length of stay helps visitors stay longer and spend more. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), in 2023, Vietnam will welcome 12.6 million visitors, bringing in tourism revenue of more than 203 trillion VND. The average spending of each international visitor is 16.16 million VND. Meanwhile, the average spending of international visitors in 2019 was 15.34 million VND. The increase in spending is not too much but partly reflects the effectiveness of the visa relaxation policy.
Ms. Thu of Vietluxtour said that the length of time customers stayed in Vietnam was 10-30% longer than the same period last year, depending on the itinerary. A representative of Vietravel commented that customers stayed longer and spent more, although "not as expected".
The new visa policy also helps Vietnam improve its competitiveness, make the country's image more attractive in the eyes of international visitors. According to Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh, this is an important lever to help Vietnamese tourism develop more strongly.
According to the World Economic Forum's (WEF) 2024 Tourism and Travel Development Index (TTDI), Vietnam's International Openness score increased by two places compared to 2021 and three places compared to 2019, ranking 80th. Indonesia dropped 27 places, ranking 69th, Thailand ranked 44th, down 4 places. The Philippines increased slightly by 1 place from 62nd to 61st. Topping the rankings is Singapore with the first openness, up 2 places compared to 2021.
According to Ms. Thu, the visa relaxation policy, along with promotion and upgrading of destination quality, are factors that need to be maintained and promoted so that the Vietnamese tourism industry can sustainably accelerate revenue and the number of visitors in all markets. A large number of visitors, staying long and spending a lot will contribute to economic development, help increase national budget revenue as well as promote cultural exchange.
According to international tour guides, most visitors to Vietnam have very positive reviews about the destination. However, visitors still lack nighttime entertainment, in addition to daytime sightseeing activities. Foreign visitors want Vietnam to have more promotional channels in different languages for easier access.
Many Australian tourists, a group in the top 10 markets sending the most tourists to Vietnam in the first 7 months of the year, expressed their desire to enjoy the visa exemption policy. According to Quach Trong Thang, a tour guide specializing in Spanish and English, Australian tourists like Vietnam because of its cheap prices, so they stay long and spend "very generously".
The Head of the TAB Secretariat commented that to maximize the benefits from the open visa policy, the tourism industry need specific, flexible strategies.
Vietnam needs to step up communications about new visa policies and attractive destinations to attract international tourists; participate in major international fairs, and widely publicize information on the websites of diplomatic missions abroad. Mr. Chinh said Vietnamese tourism promotion offices abroad "play an important role" in attracting visitors.
The Prime Minister's February directive on promoting comprehensive, rapid and sustainable tourism development has an important highlight: Vietnam continues to expand the visa exemption list and considers piloting border visa issuance. Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh commented that this is the right approach, in line with the general trend of countries in the region. A favorable and open visa policy not only attracts more visitors but also promotes international trade and foreign investment in Vietnam.
One of the Southeast Asian countries with high international openness rated by WEF 2024 is Malaysia, ranked 11th out of 119 countries and territories, up 10 places. Malaysia is also the Southeast Asian country that welcomes the most international visitors in 2023 with 29 million arrivals, surpassing Thailand.
Director of Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board in Vietnam Nor Hayati Zainuddin once shared with VnExpress on the strategies that helped the tourism industry achieve great success last year. In addition to efforts to improve service quality, develop new products, and promote its image internationally, Malaysia also has a visa exemption policy of less than 30 days for Indian and Chinese visitors to attract visitors from the two billion-population markets. According to the Malaysian government's website, the country only requires visas for more than 30 destinations. The rest are exempt.
However, tourism experts say that Vietnam's visa policy is already very open. The tourism industry should think of ways to keep visitors staying longer, spending more, and targeting high-spending customers.
Ms. Thuy Tran added that the tourism industry also needs to focus on training human resources to improve service quality. Building effective security measures at tourist destinations, ensuring a safe and friendly environment for tourists as well as encouraging sustainable tourism are things the industry needs to pay attention to in order to attract visitors.
According to Dr. Pham Ha, CEO of Lux Group, if Vietnam wants to become a tourism powerhouse, it needs to answer 5 big questions: How to get more visitors? Stay longer? Spend more? Be excited to share Vietnam with relatives and friends instead of criticizing and How to get visitors to come back soon?
"We need to help visitors to Vietnam have fun so that they can spend all the money they bring before returning home," said Mr. Ha.
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