Vietnamese people change the way they travel in the first half of the year

The first half of the year saw a change in the way Vietnamese tourists travel, with travel agencies reporting that tourists prioritize nearby destinations and limit air travel. According to Mustgo, an online booking platform with more than 2,000 hotel partners nationwide, airfares in the first half of the year increased by 15-40% compared to the same period last year, depending on the route - due to increased fuel prices and reduced aircraft. This affects Vietnamese tourists' decision to choose a tourist destination.

This platform recorded that the Southern region such as Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Vung Tau always had high occupancy rates on weekends, and some periods were full, but Nha Trang only welcomed a small number of Northern guests, 80% of whom were Southern guests and neighboring regions. Previously, representatives of some hotels in Quy Nhon also confirmed that "there were almost no Northern guests" and the parking lot was always full because guests living nearby traveled by personal vehicles. In the Northern region, Mustgo also recorded high occupancy rates or "sold out" rooms continuously in Quang Ninh and Hai Phong.

Marketing Director of Viet Travel Media Joint Stock Company Pham Anh Vu commented that the trend of domestic travel by private car is on the rise in the first half of the year, mainly for family groups, with bookings increasing by about 15% compared to the same period last year. The demand for independent travel, emphasizing personal experiences, has emerged thanks to many favorable factors such as tourism technology and the development of the highway system.

"The factor that has a big impact on domestic tourism trends in the past six months is cost," said Tran Quoc Hung, Head of Product Development at Mustgo. Data from the company shows that the number of Vietnamese tourists staying at high-end resorts and hotels has decreased by about 20% compared to the same period last year, despite the resorts continuously launching promotional programs. This shows that tourists are showing signs of saving on travel expenses.

The impact of costs on tourism trends is also reflected in the increased demand for train travel. Statistics from Du Lich Viet show that the demand for train travel in the summer increased by 40% compared to the same period last year, with the Northern tourist group traveling by train to Hue and Da Nang recording growth - especially Quang Binh with an increase of 30%. As for Southern tourists, they prefer to travel by train to Phan Thiet and Nha Trang.

A bright spot pointed out by travel companies is that MICE tourism (conferences, team building) is still bustling. Vietluxtour signed many framework contracts to deploy a series of MICE tours, most corporate customers still keep their budget for tourism activities combined with conferences and events, concentrated in major coastal tourist cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Quang Ninh, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Tuy Hoa. Foreign destinations favored by MICE tourists are Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Thailand.

Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu, Marketing and Communications Director of Vietluxtour, said that the economy has shown signs of recovery, so many businesses have maintained or restored plans to organize MICE tours for employees, customers, and agents. Some units choose to travel by road, spending budgets on accommodation services, organizing conferences at 4-5 star hotels and resorts. By early July, Vietluxtour had completed more than 70% of its domestic tourism business plan in both the individual and group markets.

Viet Tourism also recorded a 30% growth in the number of MICE guests in the first 6 months compared to the same period last year, mainly guests choosing locations with beautiful beaches, high-class services, within a 300 km radius around major cities.

Regarding foreign tourism, Mr. Vu noticed that the routes with high growth were Thailand - low cost, close - and China with diverse destinations and short distances. The number of visitors on popular routes such as Korea, Thailand, Japan, and China increased by 20-30% compared to the same period last year.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tung, Director of Danh Nam Travel, China tours have been particularly attractive since the beginning of the year as products have become increasingly diverse in terms of routes and prices. Competition from new airlines is making Chinese products have good prices, attracting Vietnamese customers. The company's business results show that the number of visitors to China in the first 6 months of the year is almost equal to the period in 2019.

Vietluxtour also has a positive assessment of foreign tourism products, especially the Northeast Asian market, which accounts for about 60% of the company's outbound customers. Ms. Thu said that Northeast Asian routes have stable prices during the summer, while European routes have increased slightly depending on the destination due to Euro 2024 in Germany.

One of the expected foreign tours at the beginning of the year was the Russian tourism product, but terrorism caused many White Nights trips to be unable to depart as planned. Danh Nam Travel representative said that the Russian tour is expected to be "warmer" at the end of the year thanks to the effect of successful departures. During the golden autumn, Mr. Tung said that the Hanoi market will have about 3 groups running Russian tours.

Forecasting the remaining 6 months, Mustgo representative said that airfare is still a big factor in customers' travel decisions. Major holidays such as National Day, Christmas or before New Year's Eve will be opportunities for resorts to "make up" for the recent difficult period. Meanwhile, Viet Tourism gave a positive forecast for the international tour market when many destinations enter the beautiful season such as China, Korea, Japan or Europe.