Sparkling Signals of Vietnam Tourism
During the 7-day Lunar New Year holiday, the National Tourism Administration said there were 10.5 million domestic tourists, an increase of nearly 17% compared to the same period in 2023. It is noteworthy that about 3.5 million of them are overnight tourists, corresponding to a 75% increase. The average room occupancy rate is estimated to be 45-50%.
Mr. Bui Thanh Tu – representative of Best Price travel company – said that with the long holiday, the total number of domestic and inbound tourists to Vietnam doubled compared to last year during the period from December 28th of the Year of the Snake to January 5th of the Year of the Horse. People flocked to travel, making revenue increase by more than 200%.
Domestic tourists increased significantly during the Lunar New Year.
Vietfoot Travel company also observed that domestic tourists during the Lunar New Year reached their expectations. By understanding the needs of the people in advance, the company opened long-term tour products from Ho Chi Minh City to the northern provinces for sightseeing. This helps businesses have sales and “hunt” for attractive airfares by moving in the opposite direction of the crowd.
According to travel companies, the road system has been improved, helping domestic tourism “soar” during the Lunar New Year. Currently, highways allow the Hanoi – Sapa route to take about 6 hours by car. Tourists only need to drive less than 3 hours to go from Ho Chi Minh City to Phan Thiet, Vung Tau.
Favorable weather has become a factor that makes domestic tourism grow rapidly. According to Mr. Bui Thanh Tu, the number of bookings increased sharply during the holiday. “After celebrating New Year’s Eve and realizing the dry, warm weather, many tourists immediately decided to drive themselves for the trip. Even though 4-5 star hotels were full, travelers still accepted homestays and hotels located farther away from the main attractions,” said the Best Price representative.
Travelers plan to travel during the spring because of the sunny and warm weather, with no rain.
In addition, Vietnamese people traveling abroad tend to look for middle and high-end products such as Japan, South Korea, and Europe. This lunar New Year, these countries and regions are still in the cold season. Therefore, a large number of domestic tourists are interested in snow skiing activities, which have never been available in Vietnam.
Leveraging the Tourism Industry
The increase in domestic and international tourists and revenue during the Lunar New Year gives the national tourism industry confidence in setting goals for this year.
Domestic destinations have done a very good job of innovating their products. For example, many images of Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh province were shared during the past time, making this place more popular among young people. Phu Quoc Island (Kien Giang) inaugurated a new night market, making the atmosphere at night become bustling.
The moment of dawn on the top of Ba Den Mountain. Photo: Bui Van Hai.
The incident of nearly 300 tourists from Taiwan – China being “abandoned” in Phu Quoc shows that the tourism workers in Vietnam always have a friendly and supportive spirit. However, in order to ensure stable operations, travel businesses should be cautious when coordinating with international partners in the process of coordinating inbound tourists, always having full legal documents ready for each specific incident to facilitate handling in case of disputes.
However, experts believe that there are still some points that need improvement in order to elevate the quality of domestic tourism.
Mr. Pham Duy Nghia – Secretary General of Hanoi Travel Association said: “During this Lunar New Year holiday, air tickets are still very expensive, even though they know that the demand to return home for the holiday is overwhelming, causing airlines to be strained.
Right after Tet, the Government requested the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to propose a policy to expand visa exemption for citizens of some countries that are appropriate to the new situation and the bilateral cooperative relationship. Mr. Pham Duy Nghia said that he hopes the State and the Government will further relax the list of countries exempted from visas, especially those that are developing or have developed economies.
This creates stimulation in terms of consumption and foreign relations. Consenting to this opinion, representatives of many businesses said that expanding visa exemptions will attract more international tourists to Vietnam, but at the same time, promotion activities to the international community must also be enhanced. If it is just simple visa exemption, it is still not really attractive.
The “non-sleeping” tourism model needs to be expanded.
Focusing on night tourism has become a factor that travel companies are interested in. Up to now, most famous destinations in Vietnam have not developed this sector much. Although there have been many new programs such as evening performances at Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature) and Hoa Lo Prison, these activities still end around 10 pm. In order to stimulate tourists’ spending to the fullest, “non-sleeping” areas like Ta Hien Street – Hanoi, Bui Vien Street – Ho Chi Minh City need to be expanded in other localities.
