Chinese businesses not ready?
On the Khanh Hoa Province Electronic Information Portal, citing information from China International Terminal Joint Stock Company, from March 26 to 30, there will be about 20 charter flights (full-flight) of Vietjet Air from China to Cam Ranh International Airport (Khanh Hoa).
Chinese tourists landed at Cam Ranh airport on a charter flight in January.
China Southern Airlines (China) also plans to reopen commercial flights from China to Cam Ranh from March 26 with a frequency of 1 flight/day. From April, the number of flights from major cities in China to Cam Ranh Port will increase significantly, in which Vietjet Air will continue to operate charter flights...
For businesses providing accommodation services, restaurants, and hotels in Khanh Hoa, information about each upcoming flight is like a shower in the middle of a dry season, because before the pandemic, China accounted for 70% of the province's international visitors.
Mr. Dao Trong Tung, Director of Charter VN JSC, Chairman of the Association of Travel Agents welcoming Chinese guests in Khanh Hoa, said that 21 travel agencies under the association have all had plans and programs to attract Chinese guests to return to Vietnam, in which Khanh Hoa will be a priority location. The companies are promoting and coordinating with Chinese travel agencies to organize many charter flights from China to Cam Ranh at the end of March. Meanwhile, data from the Khanh Hoa Hotel Association shows that the whole province has 1,169 hotels and accommodation establishments, with more than 55,000 rooms, all of which have resumed operations, so there will be no obstacles in welcoming a large number of guests. Entertainment services in Khanh Hoa have also been almost fully open, with many new products being prepared to launch at a high level, ensuring to meet the needs of Chinese guests.
Similarly, the leader of the Quang Ninh Department of Tourism also affirmed that as a locality with both land and sea borders with China, Quang Ninh has prepared plans to welcome Chinese visitors by road, air and water, serving tourists from infrastructure, services, restaurants, hotels. Businesses have also focused on training the workforce, from accommodation to travel, bringing a destination with a new and attractive look, ready to welcome "regular guests" back after 3 years of the pandemic.
Mr. Tu Quy Thanh, Director of Lien Bang Tourism Company, assessed: Vietnam has opened tourism for a full year, the entire service system, hotels, restaurants, and travel agencies have all gotten back on track, so there will not be many obstacles to welcoming Chinese tourists. However, the Chinese partners and the regulatory system are still not ready. For example, Lien Bang's Chinese partner has resumed contact and prepared since January, but the promotion of the Vietnamese market is still quite slow. In addition, although the opening policy has been agreed upon by the two governments, technical conditions such as entry and exit procedures, visa procedures for individual guests and groups not going through travel companies are still not available. The operating schedules of domestic airlines have not been adjusted.
"My partners have the mentality of waiting to see if the tour organization is favorable or not before promoting. Not to mention, they need time to update their services, products, prices, and airline tickets to organize marketing, promotion, and attract customers. Therefore, although charter trips can be organized from the end of March, the beginning of April, it will not be until the summer that this market can explode," Mr. Tu Quy Thanh predicted.
Airline difficult to fly immediately
Responding to Thanh Nien , a representative of Vietnam Airlines said that in 2019, Vietnam Airlines served 8.1 million passengers between China and Vietnam, accounting for 19% of the airline's total international passengers. China is in the top 3 markets with the largest number of passengers of Vietnam Airlines. Therefore, from very early on, the airline has prepared for the recovery of the Chinese aviation and tourism market.
"However, China is a special market, and it is not easy to open the market and fly right away. Some routes such as Chengdu connecting Hanoi and Da Nang cannot be deployed immediately this month. The airline hopes that the authorities will continue to loosen procedures for tourists to soon promote aviation and tourism between the two countries," said a representative of Vietnam Airlines.
A representative of Bamboo Airways said that from April, Bamboo Airways is expected to start operating charter flights from Nha Trang to Macau with a frequency of 4 flights/week and from Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City to Hekou with a frequency of 3 flights/week/route. For other destinations, the airline is in the process of negotiating with partners, and is expected to launch new routes from May to June if conditions permit.
Mr. Dinh Viet Son, Deputy Director of the Civil Aviation Authority, said that since March 9, the authority has notified Vietnamese airlines to plan and increase the frequency of flights to the Chinese market.
However, he also said: "In the Chinese market, the most important factor is that Vietnamese travel companies must plan to rebuild tour programs. The second issue is also very important: after Covid-19, many Chinese airports are facing a shortage of human resources, so there is a limitation in the capacity to serve international flights. Therefore, if Vietnamese airlines want to increase flights, they must work specifically with each airport, which will take more time. According to the airlines' reports, it may not be until May that the Vietnam - China commercial flight network can gradually recover."
In December 2022, as soon as China relaxed its flight licensing and quarantine requirements, Vietnam Airlines reopened connecting flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Guangzhou and Shanghai. This March, the airline continued to increase the frequency of flights connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with Guangzhou and Shanghai, and resumed the Hanoi-Beijing route. It is expected that Vietnam Airlines will reopen four routes between Da Nang and Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Chengdu; between Hanoi and Chengdu, as well as increase the use of wide-body aircraft Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 on China routes. In addition, Vietnam Airlines is also studying opening a route connecting Hanoi with Daxing Airport, Beijing.
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