Chinese tourists are welcomed by Vietnamese officials at the Mong Cai International Border Gate in northern Vietnam's Quang Ninh province, March 15, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Resumption of group travel gives the Southeast Asian nation’s travel industry hopes of return to pre-COVID levels
Vietnam’s tourism sector is gearing up to welcome the return of Chinese tourists as industry experts expect to see increased opportunities following China’s resumption of group tours to the country.
Before COVID-19, China was Vietnam’s largest tourism market and the return of Chinese tour groups will create a lot of opportunities, said Le Luyen, director of sales and marketing at Bliss Hoi An Beach Resort and Wellness in central Vietnam’s Quang Nam province.
Le Luyen, director of sales and marketing at Bliss Hoi An Beach Resort and Wellness, said she expects the number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam to reach 3 million to 4.5 million this year which is good news for the nearly 1,000 three- to five-star hotels in the country
Luyen said she expects the number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam to reach 3 million to 4.5 million this year which is good news for the nearly 1,000 three- to five-star hotels in the country.
On March 15, the day China resumed outbound group tours to the Southeast Asian country, Vietnam’s Lang Son province welcomed the first batch of Chinese tour groups in three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With more than 5.8 million arrivals recorded in 2019, China accounted for 32.2 percent of Vietnam’s total international arrivals, according to data from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
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With the expected influx of Chinese tourists, there will be a rising demand for Mandarin-speaking tour guides, said Hien Kim, director of sales and marketing at Vietnam’s BestPrice Travel, which specializes in inbound tourism.
The company began making preparations in November to reconnect with its previous Chinese partners and to meet new Chinese outbound operators.
Kim said the company has already received requests for quotations, as well as bookings for Chinese group tours to Vietnam from April.
For Bliss Hoi An Beach Resort and Wellness, which targets high-end travelers, Luyen said the expectation for the occupancy rate has been raised to over 50 percent, compared to 40-45 percent.
Like many other hotels, special preparations have been made to get ready for the potential influx of Chinese tourists, according to Luyen.
Besides adding Chinese to its website, Luyen said her hotel has also added Chinese-language brochures and recently hired Mandarin-speaking staff.
The Vietnamese aviation industry is also working to resume more flight routes to China to boost tourism. For example, Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier, plans to resume flights to Nanjing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Chengdu in April, according to online news provider VnExpress.
On March 15, low-cost carrier Vietjet Air also said that it would restart air services to major Chinese cities later this month.
Luyen said she hopes the Vietnamese government can roll out more measures to attract Chinese tourists, such as providing a more favorable visa policy and organizing promotional campaigns in more cities in China.
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Pham Thu Hang, deputy spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, said on March 9 that the country hopes to continue close tourism cooperation with China.
Tourism cooperation was one of the crucial cooperation fields between Vietnam and China, and an important method of people-to-people exchange, said Hang.
International tourism used to account for 60 percent of Vietnam’s tourism revenue. During the pandemic, the number of international arrivals plunged from a record high of 18 million in 2019 to 157,300 in 2021.
In 2022, Vietnam received about 3.6 million international visitors, mostly from South Korea and the United States.
With China resuming outbound tours to Vietnam, Ha Van Sieu, deputy general director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said he is confident that Vietnam can exceed its target of welcoming eight million foreign visitors this year.
kelly@chinadailyapac.com