Airlines ready for return of Chinese tourists to Vietnam

A representative of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines said that the local airline has made early preparations ahead of the return of Chinese tourists.

In December last year, as soon as China moved to ease rules on flight permits and quarantine requirements, Vietnam Airlines reopened air routes connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Guangzhou and Shanghai, as well as increasing the frequency of flights to these destinations.

The airline also unveiled plans to resume four air routes between Da Nang and China’s Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Chengdu, as well as between Hanoi and Chengdu from April 2023, using wide-body Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s.

Vietnam Airlines is currently examining plans to restore a route connecting Hanoi with Beijing Daxing international airport.

Meanwhile, budget airline Bamboo Airways has also formulated a scenario to welcome back Chinese tourists. Since the beginning of December last year, the carrier has launched direct flights connecting Hanoi to Tianjin, operating one flight per week.

Starting from April the airline plans to start operating the charter route Nha Trang - Macao with a frequency of four flights per week, as well as from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Hekou with a frequency of three flights per week.

Bamboo Airways is negotiating the opening of new routes with partners, hoping to launch in in May or June, said the airline’s representative.

Elsewhere, low-cost airline VietJet Air also revealed that it has devised plans to reopen a series of routes to Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing immediately after the northern neighbour’s reopening.

According to a representative of VietJet Air, passengers can enjoy a variety of options for direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Phu Quoc to Hong Kong (China) and a wide flight network connecting destinations throughout Southeast Asia,

Economist Dr. Le Dang Doanh said China's reopening of group tours to Vietnam starting from March 15 is anticipated to significantly stimulate consumption demand in the aviation, transportation, and accommodation industries.

He predicted that tourist destinations in the central region would attract more Chinese tourists than other places as the tourists tend to prefer sports and entertainment activities by the sea, and sample distinctive cuisine in the region.

Sharing this viewpoint, a representative from a travel firm in Hanoi said that there is ample room for the further development of the Chinese tourism market as their spending is rather high compared to those from other markets.

A survey on international visitors to Vietnam in 2019 by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism showed Chinese visitors spend US$1,022 on a trip on average, higher than those from markets such as Japan, the Republic of Korea, and South Asian nations. 

Statistics show in 2019 approximately 155 million Chinese people travelled across the globe, spending US$255 billion on services. Among the travelers, 5.8 million chose Vietnam as one of their destinations, making up one third of the total number of foreign travelers to the country.