Tourism is back, big time

Rebound in foreign visitors

Vietnam fully reopened its borders to tourists on March 15, 2022. In late April 2022, it stopped requiring health declarations for arrivals and since May 15, all COVID-19 test requirements for visitors have been dropped.

In May 2022, the number of foreign tourists to Vietnam increased 70.6 percent compared with April and was 12.8 times higher compared with May 2021. This trend continued strongly for the rest of the year, with nearly 90 percent of tourism companies and accommodation facilities resuming operations.

Vietnam welcomed 596,900 foreign tourists in November 2022

Bui Thuc Anh, Director of the Esperantotur and Service Joint Stock Company, said the number of tourists grew strongly in the third quarter, with those from the Republic of Korea topping the list, followed by American visitors.

Apart from traditional markets, Vietnam has seen a rebound in visitors from new markets such as India, Middle Asia, South America, and Northern Europe.

Data from Google Destination Insights show that international web searches in October for tourist accommodations in Vietnam increased about 20 percent compared with September and eleven-fold compared with March, when Vietnam fully reopened to tourists.

Most impressively, Vietnam welcomed 596,900 foreign tourists in November 2022, up 23.2 percent compared with October and 39.7 times higher compared with November 2021. “We expect the number of foreign visitors will reach four million by year’s end. In fact, the number of tourists from some countries such as India has grown rapidly,” said Ha Van Sieu, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

“Live fully in Vietnam”

In 2022, the tourism sector intensified advertising and promotional activities, both in Vietnam and abroad, to attract foreign visitors, expecting to see a busier international tourism market during the winter holidays at the end of the year.

At the World Travel Market (WTM) 2022 that took place in London in November, the Vietnamese delegation organized many meetings and activities to promote Vietnam’s tourism.

Vietnam is one of the countries with quick tourism recovery

Nguyen Trung Khanh, General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said representatives of 23 Vietnamese travel companies and famous Vietnamese tourist destinations met foreign media and partners at the tourism fair to introduce the Visit Vietnam 2023 campaigns, themed “Binh Thuan - Go Green Come Together” and “Live fully in Vietnam”.

The Vietnamese delegation assured international tourism operators that Vietnam had removed the need to present COVID-19 vaccine certificates as well as quarantine requirements for foreign arrivals, and restored visa waiver programs. Vietnam also introduced major tourism products at the travel fair, including marine, nature, cultural and urban tourism, and various support products.

Kenneth Atkinson, Deputy Chair of the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board, Founder and Senior Board Advisor to Grant Thornton Vietnam, said Vietnam’s tourism has progressed over the past decade with many tourist sites achieving global recognition.

The Vietnamese tourism sector continues to intensify promotional activities to attract foreign visitors. India is considered a strong target market, being one of the top 10 countries in terms of web searches for information about Vietnam’s tourism.