Vietnam enjoys boom in foreign visitor numbers

Although the Vietnamese tourism industry failed to reach its target of welcoming five million international visitors last year, the sector is determined to receive eight million foreign arrivals this year.

In fact, since the beginning of this year there have been a large number of foreign delegations travelling through international border gates. With optimistic signals ahead, the tourism industry is striving to restore the international tourism market this year, with measures being taken in order to fulfill the set plan.

Dao Thi Nga, head of the Sales Department under Little Charm Hanoi Hostel, said her company often receives foreign visitors from various countries such as the Netherlands, the UK, France, and the Republic of Korea, while the number of Chinese visitors has begun to return thanks to China’s recent reopening. 

According to details given by the General Statistics Office, the number of international visitors to the nation in January reached over 870,000, representing an increase of more than 23% compared to December last year.

Currently, the majority of international visitors to the country mainly come from the Republic of Korea, the US, Japan, and countries throughout Southeast Asia, of which there has been a rise in the number of visitors from emerging markets such as India and Cambodia.

Vu The Binh, chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, emphasised the importance of designing new products and services to further attract international customers, adding that the tourism sector should also aim to target visitors from further afield, as opposed to only focusing on regional countries.

Furthermore, although China reopened its border on January 8, the number of visitors from the northern neighbour to Vietnam in January remain modest at an estimated figure of nearly 16,000.

As part of efforts create the best conditions possible to attract tourists from this market moving forward, Phung Quang Thang, vice president of the Vietnam Travel Association, pointed out that the tourism industry must devise relevant solutions for effective management, adding that local firms should create quality tourism products for the Chinese market. Indeed, this will ensure an effective source of revenue for businesses, as well as boosting the image of Vietnamese tourism.

This year, the Vietnamese tourism industry hopes to swiftly welcome ASEAN delegations to attend major tourism events in the country, such as the Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Moreover, there are a wide range of events taking place, including the 2023 National Tourism Year in Binh Thuan province and Hue Festival 2023.

These activities are anticipated to create opportunities to promote Vietnamese tourism to a large number of international friends, whilst simultaneously helping to ramp up co-operation with other countries, strengthen connectivity with tourism businesses, and promote the expansion of tourism markets in the region and throughout the world.