Not only serving domestic tourists, but tourist hubs in Vietnam are also becoming Tet holiday destinations for many international visitors, especially those from markets with shared holidays such as South Korea, China.
Data from the Agoda online travel platform shows that Vietnam is among the top 5 favorite international destinations during the Lunar New Year 2024. The top international markets during this period are South Korea, Singapore, China, Hong Kong (China), and Japan. According to data from major travel companies in South Korea such as HanaTour, Very Good Travel, and Kyowon Tour Travel Easy, the number of tourists registering for Lunar New Year tours in the land of kimchi has increased by about 50% compared to the same period. Among them, Phu Quoc is one of the most attractive destinations for South Korean tourists during the upcoming holiday.
From the end of 2023 until now, Phu Quoc is gradually regaining its image as a resort paradise, attracting a large number of international visitors with a combination of international-class tourist products worth billions of Vietnamese dong, such as the vibrant night market, Love Bridge; the multimedia technology show “The Kiss of the Sea”… Every day, Phu Quoc airport welcomes 12-17 flights from countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic, Poland, the United States, Mongolia… On average, there are over 2,000 international visitors per day for sightseeing and vacation, with South Korean visitors accounting for over 50%.
Vietnam is becoming a Tet destination for many international visitors
Meanwhile, Xinhua News Agency reports that the number of Chinese outbound tourists is likely to increase compared to last year, as Chinese airlines have increased more than 2,500 international flights during the Lunar New Year. Trip.com Group states that the volume of outbound Chinese travel bookings during this holiday is more than 10 times higher than in 2023. However, the most prominent destinations include Thailand, Japan, and South Korea, with Vietnam missing from the list.
The director of a travel company in Ho Chi Minh City evaluates that if the travel trend of Chinese tourists was unpredictable in 2023, the situation in 2024 is much clearer. The tourist market has started to shift, and countries like Thailand and Singapore have quickly implemented strong policies to attract this massive influx of tourists.
Recently, China and Singapore have approved a mutual visa exemption from January 25, and this policy is effective from February 9, just before the Lunar New Year. According to the Qunar online travel platform, the search for hotels in Singapore has increased fourfold after this decision. Meanwhile, Tong Cheng Travel confirms that the search for Singapore on their platform has increased by 340% just one hour after the visa exemption policy was announced. Thailand is also counting on Chinese tourists and has unhesitatingly waived visas for this market to achieve a target of at least 30 million Chinese tourists in 2024, accelerating the tourism recovery beyond pre-Covid-19 levels.
“Countries have started to take action, and we cannot stand still to continue missing opportunities. China is still Vietnam’s largest tourist market and is very difficult to replace. Vietnam should also experiment with implementing visa exemption policies for Chinese tourists. It can be divided into two phases: From February 2024, apply for charter flights from Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Yunnan to Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, Van Don, Cat Bi, Da Nang, Cam Ranh, Phu Quoc to attract tourists for the Lunar New Year. Then from April, it can be expanded to allow all Chinese tourists to enter Vietnam. The policies must be implemented quickly. If successful, this will be the precedent for Vietnam to take a significant step in the visa opening campaign, aiming to welcome 12 – 20 million international visitors in 2024,” the director suggests.
@Thanhnien.vn