Representatives of Indian leading tourist agencies visits the Imperial City of Huế during a famtrip. India is among the top 10 largest source markets of Việt Nam tourism. Photo sdl.thuathienhue.gov.vn

HÀ NỘI – Việt Nam has advantages to attract more Indian tourists, according to experts.

Data from the Việt Nam National Authority of Tourism shows that before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2019, Việt Nam welcomed only 169,000 Indian visitors. Meanwhile, last year, 392,000 Indian travellers arrived in Việt Nam. In the first six months of 2024, the figure was 231,000, an increase of 164 per cent over the same period in 2023.

India is among the top 10 largest source markets of Việt Nam tourism. The report titled “Travel Trends 2024: Breaking Boundaries” by Mastercard's Economics Institute also affirmed Việt Nam has emerged as a favoured international destination of Indian travellers.

The report said Indian outbound travel to Việt Nam in the first three months of 2024 soared by 248 per cent compared to 2019 levels.

According to experts, Việt Nam has several advantages to further attract Indian travellers. Firstly, the distance between Việt Nam and India is not too far as it takes about 4-5 hours to fly from India to Việt Nam. Recently, more direct flights connecting the two countries have been operated.

In addition, Việt Nam has competitive service prices, which are 10-15 per cent cheaper than those in other countries in the region. Moreover, for many Indians, Việt Nam is still a new destination with diverse culture, cuisine, and rich natural resources which inspire them to explore.

This helps explain why the number of Indian visitors to Việt Nam has increased sharply in recent time, especially in places with rich tourism resources and high-quality infrastructure such as Đà Nẵng, Phú Quốc, Hạ Long, Hà Nội, and Hồ Chí Minh City.

Việt Nam’s tourism industry has focused on promoting Vietnamese tourism to the Indian market.

Notably, Vietnam Airlines together with its partners of Vietravel, Vingroup, Sun Group and Indian travel agencies held an event to promote Việt Nam tourism in New Delhi. They organised a series of events on the occasion of the launch of the Việt Nam Tourism Information Centre in India, creating a bridge to more effectively exploit the world's most populous market.

According to experts, besides attracting Indian customers, an important issue is to develop services and products to satisfy demanding tourists.

Nguyễn Quang Vinh from the Tourism Development Research Institute said Indian tourists often travel with families or groups of friends, rarely travel alone. They like shopping, outdoor activities, visiting museums and cultural and historical relics.

Vinh, who led a study on Indian tourists to Việt Nam, said that Indian tourists prefer beautiful resorts and parties. They often choose to use services at the above-average level. They carefully plan for their trips and search relevant information online via portals and social networks.

So, digital promotion activities are effective to approach this tourist segment, Vinh said.

Associate Professor, Dr. Phạm Hồng Long, head of the Department of Tourism Studies at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Việt Nam National University - Hà Nội) said that although the number of Indian tourists to Việt Nam is increasing, there are no specific and complete statistics on human resources serving Indian tourists.

It’s necessary to train and improve knowledge and skills for staff who serve Indian customers, he said.

Tourism research expert Nguyễn Văn Giá said that travel agencies need to coordinate closely with Indian partners to clarify guests' requirements regarding food and drink.

Giá said that State agencies need to support businesses in human resources training, particularly for tour guides, restaurant and hotel staff and staff of other service providers.

Việt Nam should also cooperate with Indian partners in food processing and the supply of spices and raw materials to serve the dietary needs of Hindus and Muslims. VNA/VNS