Vietnamese people are more excited about traveling abroad than Thai people.

According to the report on Vietnamese outbound travel trends in the summer of 2024 (Vietnam Outbound Trends - Summer 2024) conducted by The Outbox Company and announced on May 23, the index of Vietnamese tourists' enthusiasm for overseas travel reached 124.9 points, equivalent to the average level of Asia.

Mr. Dang Manh Phuoc, CEO of The Outbox Company, said that this is an independent index for each market. The tourist enthusiasm index is affected by the attractiveness of tourism activities, the economic and social context of each country. This index above 100 points shows that the market is "healthy".

The average outbound travel enthusiasm index for the entire Asia region is at a good level. "The Vietnamese market has a similar score, demonstrating its position and positive growth potential despite the ongoing economic difficulties," said Mr. Phuoc.

In Southeast Asia, Vietnam ranks behind Singapore and Indonesia, and above Thailand and Malaysia in terms of excitement for overseas travel during the summer.

GrandfatherBui Thanh Tu, Marketing Director of BestPrice Travel Company, said that domestic airfares during the summer are still "very high and show no signs of cooling down", while foreign tours are still dominant among Vietnamese tourists. The company's rate of customers booking foreign tours this summer is three times higher than the same period last year. Currently, the company has about 70% of bookings for foreign tours.

According to Mr. Tu, besides Thailand tours, China tours are dominating because of the variety of routes for customers to choose from. For example, Thailand has about 4 routes, China has more than 10 routes, both by road and by air. The price of China tours ranges from 5 million VND for road tours and 11-20 million VND for air tours.

Outbox's report shows that 64.4% of surveyed Vietnamese tourists chose tourist destinations in Asia this summer. Of these, 37.2% chose destinations in Northeast Asia and 27.3% chose to travel to Southeast Asia. The top 5 tourist destinations chosen by Vietnamese tourists are South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Singapore and China.

The travel behaviors of Vietnamese tourists during the upcoming summer peak season were also mentioned in the report. 79.7% said they would choose to travel in the summer when asked about their plans to travel abroad in the next 12 months. 22.2% said they had booked all or part of their trip, while the remaining group was planning and considering suitable destinations. Vietnamese tourists' overseas trips mainly fall in June and July.

According to a survey of some travel companies in Ho Chi Minh City, customers buying foreign tours in the summer tend to book 2-3 weeks in advance for visa-free destinations and 4-8 weeks in advance for tours requiring visas.

During the summer, Vietnamese tourists tend to prioritize short vacations for their overseas trips. 71.5% of tourists choose trips of less than a week. The majority of Vietnamese tourists traveling abroad are interested in outdoor experiences associated with nature, with 36.4% of tourists choosing this option. 22% choose to experience visiting large, vibrant cities (city breaks). 17.6% choose to experience the sea and 14.2% choose culinary tourism.

The average spending of Vietnamese tourists on overseas trips this summer is expected to be around 1,001-1,500 USD. Spending levels vary depending on the destination chosen by the tourists. For destinations outside Asia, Vietnamese are willing to pay more than 2,000 USD for a trip.

Domestic travel agencies say that in the past two years, mid-range foreign tours and combo tours have shown no signs of cooling down. Some destinations in Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia are the top choices of Vietnamese tourists because of their affordable prices, overwhelming domestic tours in the context of rising domestic airfares.

According to the Japan Tourism Agency in Vietnam, Vietnamese visitors to Japan in February and March continuously reached a record, exceeding 60,000 arrivals per month. The Korea Tourism Organization also said that in the first quarter, nearly 120,000 Vietnamese tourists visited the country, an increase of 38.9% compared to the same period in 2023 and an increase of 8.5% compared to the same period in 2019.