Vietnam leads ASEAN in number of visitors to Korea

Mr. Lee Jae Hoon - Chief Representative of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Vietnam - said so at the signing ceremony of cooperation between the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) and the Korea Tourism Organization on the morning of September 28.

Accordingly, the memorandum of understanding was signed to promote the exchange of visitors between the two countries, rapidly increasing the number of Korean visitors to Vietnam and Vietnamese visitors to Korea.

Specifically, the two sides will share information related to tourism policies, trends and statistics,... promoting exchanges between tourism businesses.

KTO will support VITA member businesses to build and promote Korean tourism programs; improve tour quality and ensure benefits for Vietnamese tourists when coming to Korea; and promote Vietnamese tourism businesses to improve service quality for Korean tourists coming to Vietnam.

Notably, the two sides will closely coordinate with state tourism management agencies to strengthen the management of tourism program quality and ensure the interests of tourists. At the same time, they will closely coordinate the management of tourist groups to ensure that tourists "go to their destination and return safely."

Mr. Lee Jae Hoon hopes that through the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding, the two sides will actively exchange tourism information as well as human resources, market trends, and tourism policies between the two countries to contribute to improving the quality of Korean tourism products and better serving the needs of Vietnamese tourists.

In addition, KTO will actively participate in tourism promotion fairs and seminars organized by the two agencies; enhance cooperation activities between KTO and VITA through B2B, B2C connection events and famtrips, etc. to develop more diverse and attractive Korean tourism products as well as promote exchanges and cooperation in the tourism industry between the two countries.

As of the end of September, about 310,000 Vietnamese people visited Korea; by the end of this year, this number is expected to reach 420,000, recovering 85% compared to before Covid-19 (about more than 500,000).

Compared to international visitors to Korea, the Vietnamese market ranks 5th-6th, but is the leading country in Southeast Asia in the number of visitors to Korea as of September this year.

Regarding the Vietnamese tourism industry, according to Mr. Vu The Binh, Chairman of VITA, promoting the attraction of Korean tourists to Vietnam is also an important goal, because this is the largest tourist market with 2.37 million arrivals as of the end of August 2023.

The Korean tourist market has a fast growth rate and good recovery. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the preferences of Korean tourists have not changed much, focusing mainly on sea tourism and sports tourism. Especially golf tourism is dominated by Korean tourists, Mr. Binh assessed.

In 2019, Vietnam welcomed 1 million Korean tourists to Vietnam to play golf, this year also welcomed a similar number of visitors. Not to mention, Korean investors coming to Vietnam to do business and trade are very large. Mr. Binh said that this is also a potential source of domestic tourists.

With the cooperation between KTO and Vietnam Tourism Association, Mr. Binh expects that by 2024, the number of Vietnamese people traveling to Korea will reach and exceed 500,000 people.

At the same time, the number of Korean visitors to Vietnam this year will reach 3-3.2 million, and in 2024 it will recover to pre-Covid-19 levels with 5 million. The exchange of visitors between the two countries will reach a new high, which is the goal that both sides are aiming for.

"Korean tourists like to go to Da Nang, recently Nha Trang, Da Lat, Phu Quoc,... In particular, Da Nang is the most favorite destination for Korean tourists because it has many flights, suitable for families and young people; while Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are suitable for tourists coming for business or playing golf. With Vietnam's open visa policy, the number of Korean tourists coming to Vietnam will skyrocket in the near future," said Mr. Lee Jae Hoon.