Along with tourists arriving from traditional markets, holidaymakers from India, Central Asia, South America, and Northern Europe have begun booking tours to Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh City is prepared to welcome back these travelers from the emerging markets.
Ho Chi Minh City – the largest locality and a major tourist destination in Vietnam - has recently chosen the event ITB Asia 2022 in Singapore to promote inbound tourism following a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The city has set a goal of attracting back a high influx of visitors from key markets both around the region and throughout the world,
Nguyen Ngoc Toan, general director of Images Travel & Events Company, said that in early November, the company welcomed a group of nearly 200 students from Uruguay who were keen to gain greater insights into the city’s historical and cultural landmarks.
He also revealed that groups of visitors comprising between 20 and 40 each from France are scheduled to arrive in the city in November as part of their trans-Vietnam tour.
The international tourism market has witnessed a boom in recent times due to changes in travel habits and an increasing number of independent travelers who have conducted online bookings, said Toan.
According to details given by the Department of Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City, in October alone the southern metropolis welcomed more than 546,000 foreign visitors, bringing the number of international arrivals to the city in the 10-month period to more than 2.65 million, up 100% year on year.
Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, said that the department has worked out a plan to develop tourism products alongside the night economy in an effort to welcome international visitors back.
The department has also proposed a number of tours aimed at developing night tourism products to cater to visitor’s various tastes, said Hoa.
At present, relevant agencies are continuing to work alongside tourism experts and travel firms in order to conduct surveys and assessment of destinations nationwide, all of which are expected to be completed this November, Hoa added.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Ngoc Toan, general director of Images Travel & Events Company, noted that the international tourism market in the city still faces a number of obstacles, including high airfare, few flights, and unfavourable visa procedures.
He revealed that he attended the IFTM Top Resa in Paris in September and met some international partners who said they lack information about Vietnam's tourism market.
“They were still concerned about post-pandemic service quality at destinations, as well as new tours and products. In other words, tourism promotion remains inefficient that needs to be given a boost,” said Toan.
Though localities have received groups of foreign tourists during the winter months or peak season, experts said the international tourism market is expected to fully recover in the middle of 2023.
