Vietnam tourism expects to see breakthoughs

Since the beginning of this month, Vietnamese tourism sector has seen many positive signals, with a strong recovery in both the number of visitors and revenue, and promising breakthroughs in the coming months.

Foreign tourists take photos at Hoan Kiem Lake (Photo: daidoanket.vn)

Statistic from the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism showed that in the first half of 2024, Vietnam welcomed over 8.8 million foreign arrivals, up 58.4% year-on-year, and a 4.1% increase compared to the pre-COVID-19 figure in 2019. It served 66.5 million domestic tourists.

The total revenue from tourism activities was estimate at 436.5 trillion VND (about 17 billion USD), up 1.3-fold against the corresponding period last year.

The above-mentioned figures were attributed to favourable visa policies and tourism promotion programmes which have been sped up recently.

The improvement in the quality of tourism infrastructure and products in localities was also a factor that helped raise the attraction of the tourism industry. As a result, the number of foreign arrivals to Vietnam in June still reached over 1.2 million, 5.3% higher than the same period in 2019, although it is the low season for international tourism.

Besides tourism promotion activities in international markets, localities have made great efforts to renew tourism products and offer many policies to lure tourists.

Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Khanh Hoa have seen a strong recovery in recent months.

The capital city targets welcoming over 27 million visitors this year, including more than 5.5 million foreigners, and earning over 109.4 trillion VND from the industry, up 28.2% over the same period last year.

The municipal Department of Tourism has launched a tourism stimulation scheme themed "Hanoians and Tourists Experience Four- and Five-Star Hotel Services in Hanoi”, as part of its strategy to draw more tourists to the city.

The department’s director Dang Huong Giang said in the remainder of this year, it will focus on organising programmes and events such as Hanoi Tourism Gift Festival 2024, a series of Hanoi sports and tourism events, activities featuring local culture and history, and dialogues with travel firms.

This year, Vietnam aims to welcome 17-18 million international visitors and 110 million domestic tourists, and reap total tourism revenue of about 840 trillion VND.

According to experts, localities need to promote tourism and introduce new tourism products to meet tourist needs, thereby spurring socio-economic development.

It is necessary for the industry to improve its operation, targeting high-end tourist segments, they added. For instance, India, the second most populous country in the world, is viewed as a promising source of tourists for Vietnam.

According to the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Indians are spending big on travel, about 150-200 USD per person per day on travelling abroad, even 200 - 250 USD for higher income earners.

Surveys indicate that Indian tourists enjoy exploring new destinations, shopping, participating in outdoor activities, and visiting museums, and cultural and historical relic sites.

Dinh Duc Quang from travel company Nikatour Mui Ne in the south-central province of Binh Thuan said India is indeed a highly potential but also demanding market, especially in terms of culinary and religious considerations.

Therefore, travel agencies should pay attention to tailoring their products to the needs of different groups of Indian visitors, he suggested./.

VNA