Vietnam tourism has recovered over the past year from the pandemic but the tourism agencies still hope for more support and recovery in the coming months.

As the COVID-19 pandemic is under better control, locals’ tourism demand has witnessed positive growth recently.

Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCM City recently has seen many groups of tourists checking in for flights to Hanoi, Phu Quoc, Da Nang and provinces in the northeastern and northwestern region, according to Vietnamnet.

Local residents look for summer tours at a travel agency. Photo courtesy of nld.com.vn

According to TSTtourist Company, the number of tour bookings has significantly increased recently. In April, the company hosted 3,000 arrivals and has received nearly 2,000 tourists who have booked tours in May.

Communication director of TSTtourist Company Nguyen Minh Man said the month of April has been a good start for vibrant tourism activities during the upcoming summer. Many travel agencies and authorities across many provinces and cities have been preparing new tourism products.

Director of the marketing department of Saigontourist Travel Company Doan Thi Thanh Tra added that Phu Quoc, Da Nang and cities in the North are among the most popular destinations in the summer.

Tours to Da Lat and Buon Mai Thuot - Kon Tum have been embraced as well.

Photo: Ninh Binh's department of tourism

“In addition to restoring the entire domestic travel itinerary, the company has increased the number of possible departure days for the entire itinerary. Summer tours and departure days have been updated to August 2021 for easy selection and flexible schedule. The company also plans to increase seats by 20 per cent for all tours compared to last year,” she said.

Meanwhile, according to Fiditour - Vietluxtour Travel Company, besides the April 30 holiday and upcoming summer tours offered at very good prices, the company is looking forward to sales from the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) market at resorts and hotels.

There have been a high number of contracts from large groups with sales from VNĐ1 billion per booking, said the communication director of the company, Tran Thi Bao Thu.

The popular destinations in this market are Con Dao, Phu Quoc, Phan Thiet, Quy Nhon, Phu Yen, Da Nang, Da Lat, and Vung Tau.

Leaders of many travel agencies expect that with more vaccinations being given across the country, the tourism market will recover in the second quarter of 2021.

This year’s holiday tour prices have fallen by 5 to 20 per cent compared to the same period last year. However, tourists are travelling mostly in groups of family and friends and choosing safe tourism products and services.

Vietravel is planning a summer promotion programme to increase the benefits for both solo travellers and those who travel in groups.

According to Fiditour - Vietluxtour Travel Company, it is essential to come up with effective linkage programmes between aviation, travel, hotel and destination services to create leverage for the tourism market.

Hopes for tourism recovery in the summer

Photo: Vietnam Airlines

Tourism operators have been bullish about their business’s bouncing back after being battered by COVID-19 as the summer holidays near and the disease is largely brought under control.

According to a survey conducted by the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board and VnExpress.net in March, of 3,500 respondents, 53.4 percent had plans to travel between May and September while 30.2 percent said they were ready to go on holidays in March and April.

The top 10 getaways are Da Nang, Kien Giang, Lam Dong, Lao Cai, Khanh Hoa, Quang Ninh, Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan, Ha Giang, and Quang Nam, the survey revealed.

More than 58 percent of respondents said they would spend their holidays in destinations that are safe from disease.

Photo: VGP

Meanwhile, travel firms said that up to 60 percent of tours have been booked for the four-day national Reunification Day (April 30) and International Labour Day (May 1) holiday. Tourists are booking mostly short-distance trips and brief stays in Sa Pa, Ha Long, Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Da Lat, and Con Dao Island.

Vietravel said that around 60 percent of its vacation packages, which include flights, car rentals, and hotels, have been bought.

In Sa Pa town, 80 percent of rooms at local lodging facilities will be filled during the four-day holiday, while many hotels are fully booked.

According to Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Ha Van Sieu, local visitors had an enthusiastic response to the ministry’s stimulus campaign as they were well informed of new tourism products and that the tourism sector was ready to welcome visitors once again.

Vietnam will continue to capitalise on domestic tourism during 2021-2023 and new tourism products will be developed in preparation for the return of international tourism in the “new normal”.

Sieu said it is necessary to have a good understanding of the post-pandemic market and to sketch out suitable strategies.

Regarding well-developed tourism destinations, they should receive support in policies and technologies to recover, while others need assistance to create new development opportunities and become “new stars” in the industry in the near future, he said.

Tourism development strategies should sharpen the focus on classifying the domestic tourism market to better serve the demands of visitors, Sieu said, explaining that this would help increase domestic tourism revenue.

Chau Polly