International visitors increase, tourism expected to win big

Tourists visit the central area of ​​Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: TU TRUNG

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the number of international visitors to Vietnam reached nearly 1.6 million in March 2024. In the first three months of the year, the total number of international visitors reached more than 4.6 million, an increase of 72% over the same period in 2023 and an increase of 3.2% over the same period in 2019.

The number of international visitors in the first 3 months of the year reached over 1.5 million per month. The markets with the largest number of visitors include Korea, Taiwan, the US, and Japan.

International visitors "overwhelm" domestic visitors

The growth of international visitors to Vietnam is clearly demonstrated month by month. If at the beginning of the peak international tourist season in September 2023, Vietnam tourism only welcomed more than 1 million visitors, by March 2024 this number had reached nearly 1.6 million.

Thus, on average, the number of international visitors increases by over 100,000 per month and peaks in the first three months of 2024, when Vietnamese tourism serves over 1.5 million international visitors per month.

At some destinations, the number of international visitors "overwhelms" domestic visitors. According to information from the Ha Long Bay Management Board (Quang Ninh), the number of international visitors to Ha Long Bay in the first three months of the year was 6.4 times higher than domestic visitors.

Since the beginning of 2024, Ha Long Bay has welcomed a total of more than 600,000 visitors, of which international visitors reached more than 529,000.

According to Tuoi Tre, many cruise ships in Ha Long Bay are currently fully booked until the end of April 2024. Most of them are international guests from the European market.

Mr. Bui Thanh Tu - Marketing Director of BestPrice - said that the company's inbound customers (international visitors to Vietnam) grew strongly in the first quarter of 2024. According to the company's statistics, the number of international visitors using tourism services increased by 196% compared to the same period in 2023.

"The reason for such growth is because Vietnamese tourism is competitive in price and the effect of tourism stimulus policies implemented in 2023. In addition, Vietnam is also a safe destination with many attractive experiences for international tourists," Mr. Tu shared.

Along with that, the business specializing in providing cruise services on Ha Long Bay also recorded a growth of 15-20% for international visitors. In April 2024 alone, the cruise rooms on Ha Long Bay of this business were fully booked.

According to Ms. Phi Khuyen - Marketing Manager of Paradise Vietnam, the company always expects and hopes that more international visitors will come to Vietnam during the peak season at the end of 2024.

Currently, the company has invested in improving service quality, renewing experiences in operating products, and launching new tourism products. These products are expected to be launched in the fourth quarter of this year, which is also the peak season for welcoming international visitors.

Foreign tourists enjoy bread in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: Q. DINH

Tourism recovers but faces big competition

Figures on the number of international visitors to Vietnam and revenue from this stream of visitors are signs that Vietnam's tourism is in the process of recovering after the pandemic for the foreign tourist market.

Ms. Khuyen commented that the recovery of Vietnamese tourism is being greatly influenced by the development of the outbound market (bringing Vietnamese tourists abroad), and competition with markets in the region.

“For example, the yen's more than 23% fall in the past two years has made Japan's travel packages more competitive in cost compared to other countries.

Meanwhile, Thailand, in addition to tourism promotions, has also expanded visa exemptions for large, potential markets such as China, India, Taiwan and 27 countries of the European Union (EU) and visitors from the US, Australia... That has helped Thailand welcome more than 28 million international visitors in 2023, exceeding the set target.

China, which has been a key tourist market for Vietnam in recent years, is actively promoting domestic tourism rather than outbound tourism. Therefore, the number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam this year has not yet reached the expected level," Ms. Khuyen shared.

In addition, this year's peak summer tourist season is also expected to face many difficulties as the number of international visitors to Vietnam during this time will decrease, Chinese visitors to Vietnam are not yet numerous, and a large number of domestic visitors choose to travel abroad.

To continue promoting the recovery of Vietnamese tourism and maintain the current growth rate, businesses believe that Vietnam needs solutions to increase tourism promotion to attract international visitors.

In particular, businesses expect the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to actively participate in major international tourism fairs around the world to promote Vietnamese destinations to tourists and tourism partners globally.

Thereby, developing new and innovative tourism products, enhancing digital transformation and sustainable tourism development, as well as improving tourism infrastructure and visa-related policies to create more favorable conditions for international visitors.

Actively seek international customers

As one of 73 businesses participating in promotion at the ITB Berlin 2024 International Tourism Fair, Mr. Bui Thanh Tu - Marketing Director of BestPrice - said that the unit has invited about 20 international partners to Vietnam to participate in a tourism survey in June 2024.

The six-day survey trip was to promote destinations and tourism products in Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Lao Cai, Quang Ninh... with the hope that partners would better understand and have an impressive image of Vietnam tourism.

Since the end of 2023, the international tourist market has remained the main source of revenue for Vietnamese businesses as the domestic tourism market cooled down. With positive growth signals in the first three months of the year, businesses expect 2024 to be a bumper year for international visitors.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khach-quoc-te-tang-cao-du-lich-ky-vong-thang-lon-20240331000750641.htm