From May to early September each year is considered the low season for international tourists. However, Vietnam's tourism industry in general and Thua Thien Hue in particular are implementing various strategies to attract foreign tourists, especially from target markets.
International tourists visiting Hue monuments
Off-season still sees growth
Vietnam's tourism industry has just passed the first two months of the international tourist low season. Though the number of international tourists has decreased compared to the peak months, the positive sign for Vietnam’s tourism industry, including Thua Thien Hue, is the clear “recovery” of international tourists after the pandemic.
In June 2024 alone, the number of visitors to Hue was estimated at over 359,300, an increase of 26.3% compared to the same period last year, with international tourists accounting for about 93,533 of those visiting. Compared to the previous month, the number of international tourists was nearly 86%, but compared to the same period last year, international visitors to Hue in June increased by nearly 20.5%. Notably, international tourists staying in Hue also increased. In June 2024, accommodation facilities in Hue served more than 54,500 guests, an increase of over 4% compared to May 2024 and more than 79% compared to the same period last year. In the first six months of the year, the number of international tourists increased significantly, with nearly 821,300 international arrivals to Hue, up more than 42.6% year-on-year, and international tourist stays increased by more than 37.6%.
According to experts, Hue’s tourism in particular and Vietnam’s tourism in general, are experiencing a strong recovery. According to data from the General Statistics Office, in June alone, the number of international visitors to Vietnam was over 1.2 million, down 10% from May entering the low season. However, this number brought the total number of international visitors in the first six months to 8.8 million, an increase of 58.4% compared to the same period last year.
Business representatives note that the decrease in international tourists in June is normal. This is when European and Northeast Asian markets typically do not travel far. Despite the low season, the number of visitors in the first six months was still 4.1% higher than the same period in 2019, which considered the “golden age” of Vietnamese tourism, signaling a very positive trend.
For tourism industry of the Ancient Capital, maintaining traditional tourist markets is very effective. In June, the top 10 international markets visiting Hue were Taiwan (China), France, the USA, the UK, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands.
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Director of the Department of Tourism, stated that maintaining and growing the number of international tourists would help the tourism industry achieve its goal of welcoming international visitors in 2024. Vietnam's peak international tourism season runs from October to April, so the end of the year will be a time for the tourism industry to accelerate and make significant gains.
Encouraging tourists to spend
In an interview with the press, Mr. Nguyen Quy Phuong, Head of the Tourism Promotion Department, National Tourism Administration, emphasized that the effectiveness of tourism is reflected in revenue, visitor numbers, and repeat visitors. Currently, international tourists are not just sightseeing; many are business travelers who stay in hotels. Studies show that tourists’ spending is still basic, covering food, accommodation, and travel. Therefore, developing more tourism products to stimulate tourist spending is necessary.
In reality, the open visa policy has brought many positive signals to the tourism industry in attracting international tourists. Markets benefiting from Vietnam's 45-day unilateral visa exemption from August 15, 2023, have seen a strong increase in international tourists in the first half of 2024.
Recently, the National Tourism Administration of Vietnam and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism have successfully implemented a series of overseas tourism promotion programs in Australia, France, Germany, and Italy, with upcoming programs in Russia and South Korea. For Thua Thien Hue, linking with other central Vietnamese provinces (Quang Binh - Quang Tri - Thua Thien Hue - Da Nang - Quang Nam) has boosted its promotion efforts in many countries and regions, especially Southeast Asia.
Mr. Truong Thanh Minh, Director of the Information and Tourism Promotion Center, shared that recently (June 21), Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, and Quang Nam have jointly organized a tourism promotion program in Taipei, Taiwan (China). Numerous activities were aimed at promoting and developing local tourism, including introducing destinations, events, festivals, tourism products and services, especially tourism stimulus programs, and a B2B space for tourism businesses to exchange information, introduce products and services, and sign cooperation agreements with partners, contributing to the promotion and opening up new opportunities to attract Taiwanese tourists to Central Vietnam.
To attract tourists and stimulate tourists' spending, specific surveys on the spending levels of different tourist markets, especially international tourists, are needed to find solutions to stimulate spending. Furthermore, promoting and having tourism stimulus programs to attract tourists are essential.
Additionally, it is crucial to focus on creating outstanding and unique tourism products tailored to each tourist market. Expanding and calling for investment in shopping tourism, which attracts many tourists, is especially important. Localities and tourism and commercial businesses need to organize a system of services for tourists and businesses catering to tourist products.
Story and photo: Huu Phuc