Hoang Dao Cuong
Vietnam has witnessed a rapid growth in tourism in 2022. How will you maintain the momentum in 2023?
The year 2022 witnessed a spectacular growth of domestic tourists in Vietnam: In the first 11 months of 2022, Vietnam’s tourism served 97 million domestic tourists, exceeding 160 pc of the target of 60 million. However, international tourists have not grown as expected, in the first 11 months of 2022, Vietnam welcomed over 2.7 million international visitors. Even so, we also had some spotlight results from the potential tourism market such as the return of Indian tourists.
In the coming year, Vietnam Tourism will prioritise the development of outstanding tourism products with competitive advantages such as beaches, golf, culture and heritages, cuisine, green and sustainable tourism. It will also improve the quality and effectiveness of tourism promotion, considering tourism promotion as an important investment and encourage the development of human resources and the labour market in tourism.
What is your mid-term target for Indian tourists to Vietnam and how does it compare with 2019?
In 2019, there were 169,000 Indian tourists to Vietnam. In 2022, Vietnam tourism is in the recovery process so we haven’t set a specific target. With the results in the first 11 months of 2022, Indian visitors to Vietnam reached over 109,000, entering the top five leading customer markets of Vietnam. It is expected good growth in the coming time. We expect the number of exchange tourists between Vietnam and India to reach 500,000 by 2025.
Which segments of tourism from India is Vietnam best suited for?
In recent years, many Indian billionaire families have chosen Vietnam as a destination for weddings and honeymoons. This shows that the quality of Vietnam’s tourism products has reached the high-class standards. Besides, tourists who are middle-class Indian families are also very interested in beaches and resort tourism products, cultural exploration, cuisine, shopping and golfing in Vietnam. We look forward to deepening the needs of Indian tourists to better meet and serve more attentively. Currently, the flight routes connecting Vietnam and India are convenient and offer good quality of services. In the coming time, Vietnam will prioritise tourism promotion activities in India so that Indian can see more about our beautiful destinations and attractive products. While Vietnam Tourism has not opened a representative office in India, we suggest that tourist and tour operators should connect to our Vietnam Embassy in India for more details. Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is always ready to support.
How is the air connectivity now?
In just a short time, the air connection between Vietnam and India has developed strongly. Three airlines namely Indigo, Vietnam Airlines, and Vietjet Air have opened dozens of new routes connecting most major cities of Vietnam and India. In the short term, we think that flights with the current frequency can meet the tourism needs of Vietnamese and Indian tourists and believe that the airlines of the two countries will be ready to add more flights, new routes.
How does Vietnam compare with Thailand as a tourism destination, especially for the Indian travellers?
Vietnam Tourism and Thailand Tourism are both competitors and close partners in coordinating to welcome tourists from third countries to travel to the two countries. Both are located in Southeast Asia, but Vietnam and Thailand both have different and outstanding tourism products. If Thailand has the Phuket island, Vietnam has Ha Long Bay Heritage, one of the new ‘7 Wonders of the World’, Phu Quoc island, the blue paradise pearl island in the southwest of the country. For Indian tourists who have been to Thailand, they will not regret choosing to travel to Vietnam because impressive experiences are waiting for you.
What actions will you take in the Indian market this year?
We will prioritise tourism promotion activities in India in 2023 and the following years. We want you to have more information and better understanding of Vietnam, a safe, friendly and attractive destination. Activities such as: Digital tourism promotion, programmes and events in Vietnam will be organised. Vietnam Tourism will appear at an international tourism fair in India, there will be high-level contact groups, survey programmes for businesses and press trips.
