Vietnam Tourism Poised for Continued Breakthroughs in 2024

In 2023, the tourism industry had recovered impressively, however, according to experts, Vietnam needs a clear strategy to have a strong breakthrough in 2024, especially in attracting international tourists.

Exceed target but still struggling

According to the National Tourism Administration, by 2023 the total number of international tourist arrivals were about 12.6 million, exceeding the set target by 57%. The number of domestic tourist arrivals was estimated at 108 million, exceeding the plan by 6%.

Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Pham Van Thuy said that the image of Vietnamese tourism has been enhanced and Vietnam's position on the world tourism map has also improved. Vietnam has received many international awards, including being honored as "Top Heritage Destination" at World Travel Awards 2023.

However, many experts still assess that 2023 could hardly be called a successful year for Vietnam's tourism industry.

Mr. Pham Tien Dung, Vice President of Hanoi Unesco Travel Club, Director of Goldentour, said that the number of international visitors and revenue was considered a "measure of success" of the tourism industry, however, if compared before the COVID-19, Vietnam had only reached the recovery target of 44%.

A bright spot of tourism in 2023 was considered to be the visa policy when the Government began issuing e-visas and increasing the validity period from 30 days to 90 days. However, Vietnam's tourism industry has not taken full advantage of the potential of this policy to attract international visitors.

In addition, although Vietnam has won many awards and achieved goals, Vietnam still needs a strong recovery strategy to cope with the tourism situation next year. In particular, it is necessary to focus on promoting tourism brands, expanding new markets, managing destinations well and developing new tourism products to attract visitors from different markets. At the same time, there needs to be improvement in high-quality personnel in the industry to ensure quality services for tourists.

Thriving from the beginning of 2024

Right in the first days of the new year, Vietnam's tourism industry has witnessed a significant improvement with a large number of tourists flocking to localities across the country to visit, relax and welcome the new year.

During the New Year holidays, localities such as Hanoi, Ha Long, Ninh Binh, and Da Nang welcomed a large number of visitors. Hanoi was estimated to welcome 402,000 visitors, an increase of 65% over the same period last year. Ha Long has organized many special events, attracting thousands of tourists. In Ninh Binh, many famous tourist destinations such as Bai Dinh Pagoda and Trang An have welcomed tens of thousands of visitors.

Besides, other cities and localities such as Thanh Hoa and Da Nang also recorded significant growth in the number of tourists. Da Nang welcomes 261,000 visitors during Christmas and New Year, an increase of 34.7% compared to the previous year. Da Nang International Airport is estimated to welcome more than 15,500 visitors during the 3-day Tet holiday.

Contributing to this success are the efforts of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration with synchronous solutions such as changing visa policies, improving the quality of tourism products and effective promotion.

In 2024, Vietnam's tourism industry aims to welcome 17-18 million international visitors, serve 110 million domestic tourists, and total revenue from tourists will reach about VND 840 trillion. However, there are still many challenges from the unpredictable world situation to the negative effects of slowing economic growth.

To complete the set goal, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung has proposed a series of important solutions. He requires the Vietnam National Tourism Administration to continue to advise and improve institutions and policies, while reviewing inadequacies that need to be adjusted. In particular, he promotes close links with other ministries and sectors to create policies to support the development of new types of products, such as agricultural tourism and digital transformation in tourism.

According to Minister Nguyen Van Hung, in the coming time, the tourism industry will strengthen tourism statistics to ensure accurate and complete data. At the same time, it needs to develop tourism promotion activities to improve marketing effectiveness and attract tourists. Vietnam tourism industry also needs to focus on training highly qualified workers, especially those fluent in foreign languages and technology - important factors to improve the quality of tourism services. This not only helps drive digital transformation in the industry but also creates a comprehensive and quality travel experience for international and domestic travelers.

By Giang Tu, Vietnam Business Forum