Regular customers are accelerating their arrival in Vietnam.

Accelerate the arrival of international tourists.

If the aforementioned growth trend continues until the end of the year, the target of welcoming 18 million international tourists, restoring the tourism industry to its golden age of 2019, is entirely within reach.

Notably, besides South Korea continuing to be the largest source market with 844,000 visitors (accounting for 27.7%), the number of visitors from China also recorded impressive growth, 7.5 times higher than the same period in 2023. The figure of 538,000 visitors propelled China to second place in the ranking of the largest source markets for Vietnam in the first two months of this year. This is considered extremely encouraging because China will only truly open up tourism and remove barriers allowing its citizens to travel abroad freely before the Lunar New Year 2024.

Vietnam's traditional tourist markets have begun to experience strong growth again.

Specifically, during the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Dragon, Mong Cai City ( Quang Ninh province) welcomed approximately 50,000 tourists, more than half of whom were Chinese. From the 29th day of the lunar month to the 3rd day of the new year, about 40,000 people completed immigration procedures at the Mong Cai International Border Gate, and more than 10,000 domestic tourists registered for accommodation. Of these, more than 20,000 were Chinese tourists visiting Vietnam.

Similarly, while the Lunar New Year 2023 saw only a few flights bringing Chinese tourists to Khanh Hoa , which then ceased due to the epidemic and China's group tourism policy, this year's Year of the Dragon (2014) has seen a surge in the number of Chinese tourists arriving and registering to visit Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa. From February 6th to 15th, Cam Ranh International Airport welcomed approximately 150,000 international visitors with over 850 flights, and China led the way with 430 flights, approximately 60,000 passengers, equivalent to 21 flights per day.

Along with China, Russian tourists – one of Vietnam's largest and most loyal tourist groups – are also making a vibrant return after a period of absence due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. On October 24-25, 2023, two consecutive flights transiting through Taraz brought 427 Russian tourists to Phu Quoc, marking a significant milestone as flights to Eastern Europe and Central Asia resumed.

Since then, Russian tourists have consistently been among the top target markets for Phu Quoc Island. Many hotels with 4 stars or more in Phu Quoc report occupancy rates of 90% or higher during the Lunar New Year holiday, mostly with international guests from South Korea, Taiwan, Poland, and Russia. By the end of February, the number of Russian tourists had increased by nearly 59%, and Vietnam was among the top 10 most popular destinations for Russian tourists in February, according to a report by the Russian Association of Travel Agents (ATOR). Recently, Aeroflot (Russia) officially launched a trial flight route directly from Moscow to Ho Chi Minh City, further fueling hopes that the number of Russian tourists visiting Vietnam will increase rapidly this year.

Improve tourist spending.

Despite positive signs at the beginning of the year, tourism businesses believe that the recovery of the inbound tourism market still faces many challenges. Mr. Nguyen Minh Man, Director of Communications and Marketing at TST Tourist, stated that China remains Vietnam's largest and most irreplaceable source of tourists. The goal of welcoming 18 million international tourists, and even quickly reaching 20 million in 2024, depends significantly on this influx of visitors.

Before the pandemic, our airlines operated over 200 flights per week to various provinces and cities in China. Of the 18 million international visitors to Vietnam in 2019, approximately 6 million were Chinese, mostly arriving on charter flights to Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Ha Long. Each day, central provinces could receive around 50-70 charter flights bringing Chinese tourists. Compared to the pre-pandemic period, the current number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam is still insignificant. Compared to countries like Thailand and Singapore, our recovery rate is quite slow.

According to Mr. Man, while the tourism trends of Chinese tourists in 2023 were difficult to predict and inaccurate, the situation in 2024 is much clearer. The market of over a billion people has begun to shift, and countries like Thailand and Singapore are quickly implementing strong policies to attract this huge influx of tourists. Recently, China and Singapore approved bilateral visa exemptions. Thailand is also relying on tourists from China and is not hesitating to grant visa exemptions to this market to achieve its goal of having at least 30 million Chinese tourists in 2024, accelerating the recovery of tourism beyond pre-Covid-19 levels.

"Other countries have started to act, we cannot stand still and continue to miss opportunities. Vietnam should also pilot the implementation of a visa exemption policy for Chinese tourists and some potential tourist markets that businesses and tourism associations have repeatedly proposed. If successful, Vietnam will take another important step in opening up visa access, achieving the goal of welcoming 18-20 million international tourists in 2024," a representative from TST Tourist suggested.

Meanwhile, some argue that there's no need to worry too much about the number of international tourists visiting Vietnam this year because, as Mr. Thai Doan Hong (Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Trade Union Tourism Joint Stock Company) noted, Vietnam has many advantages. Improvements in visa policies and product diversification from all localities have consistently placed many of our destinations among the top attractive tourist spots internationally, attracting the attention of many foreign visitors.

In particular, the shift in perception towards sustainable and stable tourism across most components of the tourism ecosystem has been implemented very well. The situation of hotels and restaurants aggressively "taking advantage" of peak seasons to raise prices and engage in opportunistic business practices has been eliminated. This has made Vietnamese tourism prices quite competitive compared to other countries in the region. As a result, in addition to traditional tourists from China, Russia, South Korea, and Japan, Vietnam is also establishing a strong brand image in the eyes of tourists from India, Australia, the US, and Western Europe.

However, what concerns Mr. Thai Doan Hong more is the quality, as reflected in tourists' spending habits. Observing from 2023 to the present, Mr. Hong has noticed a significant decrease in tourist spending. Inbound tour guides also confirm that tourists have significantly reduced their spending. Despite the difficult economic situation, tourists still travel, eat out, and buy souvenirs, but they are no longer as extravagant as before and are becoming more frugal.

"Issues related to visa policies or products can be proactively addressed, but the limited income of tourists is very difficult to influence. Therefore, to improve tourists' spending capacity, it is necessary to focus on improving the quality of souvenirs and gifts. When local products meet high-quality OCOP standards, they will be consumed more effectively. Along with that, diversifying experiences, services, and products will encourage tourists to spend more," Mr. Thai Doan Hong stated.

Besides the strong acceleration of traditional tourist flows from Southeast Asia and North Asia, markets in Europe are also experiencing vibrant growth, especially those benefiting from unilateral visa exemption policies such as: the UK (up 32.6%), France (up 34.6%), Germany (up 37.1%), Italy (up 82.3%), Spain (up 48.5%), etc.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/khach-ruot-tang-toc-toi-vn-185240306212803797.htm