As the peak season of tourism is approaching, the number of international tourists coming to Vietnam has bounced back significantly, especially after the implementation of the country’s new visa policy which was introduced in August.
The new visa policy, taking effect from August 15, is creating a boost to the attraction of international tourists, but it is just the initial step and more long-term measures are required to make a breakthrough in this regard, according to insiders.
As one of the countries with the highest improvement in global tourism rankings, coupled with a relaxed visa policy, Vietnam's tourism is poised for robust growth, and a rapidly increasing number of international visitors.
The south-central coastal province of Khanh Hoa has seen a significant increase in the number of visitors during the summer months, with a 60% surge compared to the same period in 2019 before the pandemic hit.
Vietnamese passport holders can enter 55 destinations around the world without the need to apply for a visa or with simplified visa procedures, including visa issuance at the border or through electronic check-in.
Philippine tourists were the biggest spenders in Vietnam last year, according to the Statistical Yearbook 2022, recently released by the General Statistics Office.
Southern localities have undertaken a series of measures to fully tap the potential of sea and island tourism, which attracts approximately 70% of international tourists to Vietnam.
Visitors to Hanoi totalled 12.33 million in the first half of this year, a 42% increase compared to the same period last year. International tourists accounted for 2.03 million, a seven-fold rise against the same period last year.
The Hanoi Department of Tourism said, the city welcomed more than 2 million visitors in May, including 316,000 foreign travelers. The figures saw increases of 6.4% and 200% times against the same period last year, respectively.
With nearly 200,000 KRW in each per-capita card transaction, Vietnamese tourists spent the most among international visitors to the Republic of Korea (RoK) in 2022, according to the RoK’s credit card and financial service company BC Card.
Total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue increased 13.9% year on year to over 1.5 quadrillion VND (63.9 million USD) in the first quarter of 2023, compared to the 5% growth in the same period of 2022, the General Statistics Office (GSO) reported.
A golden tourism route connecting six destinations of Vietnam and China was launched in Hanoi on March 28, expected to help the two countries enhance cross-border tourism links.
Phu Quoc Island is an ideal choice for travel and long-term relaxation, with a complete visa exemption policy for international visitors, a temporary stay of up to 30 days, rich nature, and impressive architecture.
Vietnam needs to have support policies for developing new tourism products and services capable of attracting high-spending international visitors, said insiders.
The northern coastal province of Quang Ninh has planned to launch two more maritime tourism products in Bai Tu Long Bay in Van Don district in order to reduce the density of visitors in Bai Chay and Tuan Chau tourism centres.
As many as 43 Vietnamese travel agencies are introducing attractive tourism products and services at the International Travel Trade Show (ITB) 2023, which takes place in Berlin, Germany from March 7-9.
Bookings for flights from the UK to Malaysia and Vietnam are up by more than 2,200% against early last year when both countries were still closed to international tourists, according to CNN, which cited data from travel service provider Flight Centre UK.
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