What can we see from Vietnam achieving 98% of its goal of welcoming international visitors?

Vietnam has almost completed its target of welcoming 8 million international visitors in 2023, but compared to the region, both the target and the recovery rate are low.

By the end of August, Vietnam welcomed more than 7.8 million international visitors, reaching nearly 98% of the annual target of 8 million. Report "Vietnam Tourism in the first 6 months of 2023"   Outbox, a tourism and hospitality market research company, also previously pointed out that Vietnam is performing well with the highest rate of completing annual targets in the region.

A group of Spanish tourists visit Ngoc Son Temple, Hanoi, August 20. Photo: Nguyen Anh Tuan

However, Vietnam's target of welcoming international visitors in 2023 or tourism recovery rate compared to 2019 is the lowest among the top 5 most popular destinations in Southeast Asia.

Before the pandemic, the five countries that welcomed the most visitors in the region were Thailand (39.8 million), Malaysia (26.1 million), Singapore (19 million), Vietnam (18 million), and Indonesia (15.5 million), according to the World Tourism Organization.

In 2023, Vietnam aims to welcome 8 million visitors, a recovery rate of 44% compared to before the pandemic. The remaining four countries all set higher targets. Initially, Thailand expected to welcome 25 million visitors. After China reopened its borders in January, the Thai government changed its target, expecting to welcome 28-30 million visitors. Thus, the country's recovery target compared to before the pandemic is set at 63-75%.

Malaysia expects to welcome 16-18 million visitors, pushing the target recovery rate to 69%. Singapore expects to welcome 12-14 million visitors, equivalent to a recovery rate of 63-73%. Indonesia initially expected to welcome 7.4 million visitors but raised its target to 8.5 million in July. The recovery rate increased from 46 to 53%, showing the country's determination to welcome international visitors.

Explaining why Vietnam aims to welcome 8 million international visitors in 2023, Director of the Asian Tourism Development Institute Pham Hai Quynh said that this number "is a safe target for recovery and gradual approach after the pandemic". "We want to break through and return to the peak period of Vietnamese tourism, but that does not mean we do not take into account the current reality," said Mr. Quynh.

According to Mr. Pham Ha, CEO of Lux Group, an expert in luxury tourism, Vietnam set the number of 8 million and the lowest recovery target in the top 5 due to "achievement disease". "We have a tradition of setting low targets to complete by the end of the year", Mr. Ha said.

Head of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) Secretariat Hoang Nhan Chinh said that countries in the region often study the tourism recovery rate of 2022 and the first months of 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels. From there, countries adjust their targets when the forecast is not realistic. In early 2023, Thailand adjusted its target three times. Indonesia also made similar adjustments when it realized that the forecast data at the beginning of the year was no longer consistent with the actual situation.

In 2022, Vietnam set a target of 5 million international visitors but only welcomed 3.6 million. "Is that why we were too cautious in forecasting the number of visitors this year?", Mr. Chinh said. He said that in 2023, the Vietnamese tourism industry received strong support from the Government in improving visa policies, and the recovery of international tourism was more positive. "If the tourism industry is determined to set a higher target, the whole industry will certainly work together to achieve that goal," said a representative of TAB.

Earlier this year, TAB announced its forecast for the number of international visitors to Vietnam for the year and each month. As of the end of August, the actual number of visitors and TAB's forecast were almost identical. According to Mr. Chinh, it is expected that by the end of the year, Vietnam will welcome 12-13 million international visitors, or even more. If no unexpected factors arise and technical barriers are removed in time, Vietnam's tourism could fully recover in 2024 with the number of international visitors reaching 18 million, equal to 2019.

To achieve the goal of returning to the peak period, TAB proposes three solutions that need to be done immediately . State management agencies need to   Promote international communication about innovations in visa exemption policies, promote tourism promotion with key markets of Vietnam.

Currently, many websites of Vietnamese embassies in other countries have not regularly updated information about new policies. Meanwhile, this is the first source of information that foreign tourists look for if they want to travel to Vietnam. "Sometimes tourists do not necessarily trust the information on the websites of local travel companies. They trust the website of the Vietnamese embassy in their country more because this is an official source," said Mr. Chinh.

Next, Vietnam needs to develop unique and creative tourism products that meet the needs of each market and prioritize the development of green tourism products. Regarding destination management , it is necessary to do a good job of linking stakeholders such as management agencies, local communities, businesses, tourists as well as linking regions to connect tours seamlessly and train high-quality tourism human resources.

Thailand is stepping up its efforts to promote the image of the "land of smiles" to international visitors. Photo: Adobe stock

"We don't need to look far, just look at Thailand for how they do tourism," said Mr. Pham Ha about how to help Vietnam welcome 18 million visitors in 2024. According to Mr. Ha, Thailand has positioned its national brand well with tourists when it is known as the land of smiles. Wherever tourists go, they encounter the warmth and friendliness of the people and staff working in the service industry. Tourists do not hesitate to bargain because they are not afraid that the shop owner will show his attitude if he does not buy something.

Thailand has enough resources to do tourism and has opened many tourism promotion offices abroad. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) currently has 29 offices around the world and they have in-depth knowledge of the travel habits of tourists in each region.

"They (TAT Vietnam) know what we like to eat, where we like to play, how we like to entertain ourselves, and how much we spend. From there, they create tours that are suitable for Vietnamese people, and promote tourism by inviting local businesses to Thailand to conduct surveys," said Mr. Ha. "Thai people speak the language of Vietnamese people. That is why Thailand is always a favorite destination for Vietnamese tourists."

Vnexpress.net