Malaysia- Key Tourism Market for Vietnam

Defining Malaysia as a top tourist market, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has accelerated tourism promotion activities and diversified products for the Malaysian market in recent years. Many tourism promotion events have been carried out in Malaysia, like hosting Vietnam Night on Langkawi Island in the framework of the ASEAN Tourism Forum (2005), attending annual MATTA Trade Fairs held by the Malaysia National Travel Association (MATTA), broadcasting Vietnam tourism on tourism channels in Malaysia, joining roadshows in Kuala-Lumpur and investment - trade - tourism promotion workshops hosted by the Embassy of Vietnam in Malaysia.

 

In addition to promotion activities hosted by tourism authorities, travel companies of Vietnam actively take part in trade fairs in Malaysia, organise famtrip tour delegations to Malaysia, and learn from Malaysia’s experience in organising and serving tourists.

 

Besides, since the two countries provide 30-day visa-free travel for citizens, Malaysian tourist arrivals to Vietnam have increased continuously. Malaysian tourists reportedly visit Vietnam mainly from public information in the press or through recommendation of friends, relatives, through travel firms; through television, internet and external communication activities of regional and international cooperation events like ASEAN and APEC.

 

Especially, from November 18 to 25, VNAT, MATTA, Vietnam Airlines, Hanoi Railway Corporation, Golden Tour Travel  Company and hotels organised a survey on heritage destinations in Vietnam for a farmtrip tour for 13 journalists and travel firms of Malaysia in order to provide more information about tourism potential and beauty of Vietnamese land and people to Malaysian travel firms.

 

However, the number of Malaysian tourists to Vietnam is still incommensurate with favourable conditions and tourism development paces of both countries. According to VNAT, Malaysian tourist arrivals to Vietnam were over 329,000 people in 2013, over 339,000 in 2014 and 300,000 in the first 11 months of 2015.

 

Vietnam still finds it hard to draw Malaysian tourists as it particularly lacks technical facilities for Islamic tourists and Halal food restaurants. Besides, many countries have seen Malaysia as their important tourism market and they have strongly concentrated tourism promotion there while Vietnam is known for uncompetitive prices in relation to other countries in the region.

 

Mr Nguyen Quy Phuong, Director of Travel Industry Management Department under VNAT, noted that Malaysia was among the biggest tourism markets of Vietnam in ASEAN in 2014. Vietnam and Malaysia have favourable connections, including air, sea and land. In the coming time, the two countries will further promote cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation programmes.

 

Speaking at a workshop on Vietnam tourism promotion in Malaysia, Director Nguyen Quy Phuong said that Malaysia has the most developed tourism industry in the ASEAN region and has cultural and social similarities to Vietnam. The Vietnamese tourism sector will strive to boost Vietnam - Malaysia tourism cooperation ties.

 

Vietnamese travel firms agreed that Malaysia’s outbound tourism is on the rise because of higher incomes and longer holidays and this will be a potential tourism market for Vietnam. Mr Pham Tien Dung, General Director of Golden Tour Travel Company - one of five best Vietnamese tour operators in Malaysia, said, to attract Malaysian tourists to Vietnam, it is necessary to boost the image of Vietnamese tourism to Malaysian travellers.

 

“Although this is a long-tapped market of Vietnam tour companies, key tour routes for Malaysian visitors in Vietnam are primarily Hanoi - Ha Long and HCM City - My Tho. Vietnam needs to open routes to its heritage destinations in Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh, Hue, Quang Nam and Da Nang, position national scenic spots, and introduce pagodas and unique cultural life and cuisine of Vietnam,” he recommended.

 

In addition, Malaysian tour operators see that Vietnam has many scenic destinations recognised by UNESCO, while Malaysians are not too picky about service or shopping. Therefore, Vietnam should accelerate tourism promotion via word of mouth, internet and media as they have big influences on tourists’ choice of destinations such as Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor. They also look at information about destinations on social networks where their friends and families have travelled.

 

Hopefully, with the efforts of tourism authorities, tourism companies and the media of both nations, the bilateral tourism cooperation ties will be increasingly widened to draw tourists of each other’s side.