The tourist food court on Thu Khoa Huan Street (District 1) used to be bustling but is now closed.
Western guests are weak.
For many years, Asia has been Vietnam's main tourist market, with China leading, followed by Korea and Japan. Even though China no longer dominates Vietnam's international tourist market as it did before the pandemic, Asian visitors are still the "boss" and Western visitors are too weak. According to the General Department of Tourism, international visitors to Vietnam in February 2023 are estimated at 932,969, up 7.1%; in the first two months of 2023, the total number of visitors reached 1.8 million, up 24.4% over the same period in 2022 (when Vietnam had not yet opened its doors to international tourism).
Of which, Asian visitors dominated Vietnam's destinations, contributing nearly 1.3 million out of a total of 1.8 million international visitors (over 72%). Leading the way were Korean visitors, with 560,289 arrivals; Thailand 97,200 arrivals, Taiwan (90,156), Malaysia (72,259), China (70,900), Japan (70,500), Cambodia (69,800), Singapore (50,500)...
International visitors to Vietnam decrease, is Bui Vien Western street empty of Western visitors?
Vietnam's international tourist market is not only low in quantity but also has a difference in the structure of tourist sources. Faraway tourist markets such as Europe, America and Australia are experiencing a serious "deficit". Of the 1.8 million international visitors in the first two months of the year, visitors from Europe were only 242,500, accounting for 13.4% of the total number of international visitors to Vietnam; the whole of America was 186,000 (of which 147,500 were from America), accounting for 10.3% and Australia was nearly 74,000, accounting for 4.1%.
For European visitors, the largest number are from the UK (44,000 arrivals), Germany and France with 35,000... The remaining markets only have a few thousand arrivals. Excluding the 3 years of the pandemic, international visitors to Vietnam in the first 2 months of the year seem to have returned to 2016, when Vietnam welcomed 6 million foreign visitors.
How to attract Western customers?
All international tourists are important, but businesses and tourism experts believe that Vietnam needs to increase promotion, create suitable products, expand visa policies... to attract more visitors from key markets such as Europe - America - Australia.
Mr. Nguyen Chau A, Director of Oxalis Adventure Company specializing in Son Doong Cave exploration tours, cited the success story of the tours Western tourists love in Hoi An such as plowing, growing vegetables, cooking with locals and even releasing snakes into the wild, to affirm: "Currently, we cannot distinguish which tourism products Western tourists like, so we just do what we like and think Western tourists like it." As a result, Vietnam has many tourism products but very few products suitable for European and American tourists.
Ho Chi Minh City destinations are also surrounded by old, available tourism products such as Ben Thanh market.
According to travel agencies specializing in welcoming foreign guests, nighttime entertainment programs in Vietnam are also underdeveloped. Tourists only eat, drink, and then return to their hotels to sleep. In Hanoi, there is a water puppet show that many international visitors come to, but the stage is small and the performances are monotonous. The grand program is the A O Show, which is popular with European and American visitors, but it does not take place continuously. "Tourism products are still the core of the problem of why Vietnam has not attracted Western visitors. Only with products can we effectively promote our destinations. If we ask now what tourism products do we have for European and American visitors, or for Asian visitors, surely no one can answer. So what can we promote?", emphasized Mr. Phan Dinh Hue, a tourism expert.
Ho Chi Minh City sidewalks in the eyes of Western tourists: 'Too many motorbikes, where to walk?
In addition, according to Mr. Chau A, Vietnam needs to have many options for issuing 30-day, 60-day, 90-day visas; single and multi visas for visitors to choose from. E-visas need to be improved so that visitors can apply quickly and easily. Because Western visitors are currently traveling freely by arranging their own visas and air tickets, when entering Vietnam they will book short tours according to their preferences and travel between regions themselves, so the number of visitors who rely on travel agencies to apply for visas is also less. We also need to have commercial flights connecting major cities in Europe at least as before. Tourism products need to be designed to suit the needs of European visitors. Promote destination promotion according to the plan that the State and businesses work together. Tourism businesses that have just recovered from the pandemic need to "breathe life into them", they cannot work alone to do destination marketing instead of the State.
"After the pandemic, Western tourists have many choices of destinations in the region, so they will go to places with better visa policies, marketing promotions and more attractive tourism products. For example, in Southeast Asia, Thailand has implemented many outstanding promotional programs, exempting visas for many countries and increasing the length of stay to 30, 45, 90 days, so the country is crowded with tourists. This year, Thailand is expected to welcome 30 million international visitors," said Mr. Chau A, adding that it is not that European and American tourists do not travel abroad, but whoever does well at this time will reap the sweet rewards.
Mr. Nguyen Chau A
In a recent meeting with Ho Chi Minh City leaders, Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) Alain Cany proposed: "It is necessary to extend visas to 30 days from the current 15 days, and apply this regime to all citizens of countries in the European Union (EU)."
Previously, in mid-February, when announcing the White Book in Hanoi, EuroCham also proposed expanding the visa exemption list to all EU countries and extending the visa exemption period from 15 days to 30 days.
EuroCham said it has reported to the Vietnamese Government that tourist travel behaviour has changed due to the pandemic, with people travelling less but spending longer in one destination.
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