TMG – Thanks to favorable flight routes and efforts by both countries to promote tourism, Australian tourists are flocking to Vietnam. However, some areas need to be improved to fully tap into this potential market.
Impressive growth
As of the end of July 2024, Australia ranked 7th in the top 10 leading tourist markets to Vietnam, with 281,000 visitors. This is a market with potential, with a growth rate of 27% in the first seven months of the year.
According to businesses surveyed, important driving forces contributing to the development of the Australian tourist market to Vietnam include what the government can do to make it easier for visitors to travel to Vietnam as well as tour within the country.
To date, Vietnam Airlines and VietJet are operating direct flights connecting major tourist centers in Vietnam like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with major cities in Australia such as Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. Vietjet alone currently has seven routes connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with the five largest Australian cities, with a total of 58 flights per week.
“The significant increase in Australian visitors to Vietnam is driven by several factors, including the relaxing of visa policies, improved tourism infrastructure and the diversification of tourism products,” said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hanh, General Manager of Intrepid Vietnam, a member of TMG.
According to Mr. Hanh, Australian tourists prefer adventure and discovery travel. They tend to look for new, interesting destinations with a lot of local character in order to engage with the destination and local culture in the most authentic way.
Tourists from the Australian market are very interested in learning about the culture and history of the destination. They often join tours to cultural heritage sites, museums and historical sites. This shows that they tend to like discovery experiences that are educational and insightful.
“With beautiful beaches, rich cuisine and a diverse tangible and intangible cultural heritage, Vietnam is proving to be an ideal destination for Australian tourists who love new and unique experiences”, noted a representative of a business specializing in the Australian market.
Attracting visitors strategically
In Southeast Asia, some prominent destinations competing with Vietnam to attract the Australian market include Thailand; Indonesia (especially Bali) being a perennial favorite for Australians; Cambodia; Malaysia; and Singapore.
Speaking to Lao Dong newspaper, Mr. Andrew Goledzinowski, Australia’s Ambassador to Vietnam, affirmed that the Australian market is valuable to the Vietnamese tourism industry and will continue to grow. “I believe that more and more Australians are visiting Vietnam, but it would be better if Vietnam more actively promoted tourism,” Mr. Goledzinowski said.
In addition, the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam affirmed that applying for an e-visa is an important step forward and Australian visitors have used this provision since 2017.
“However, there are still some problems with the process of applying for an e-visa for Vietnam. We find that this process is not as easy as it should be; many Australians say that when they receive the visa, the information is incorrect. Surprisingly, the mistake is often in the date of birth.”
The Ambassador noted that if Australian tourists only realize there’s a mistake when they arrive at the airport, and that the information on the visa does not match their passport, they will have to apply for an emergency visa at a much higher price.
“For example, for an Australian family of four traveling to Vietnam, the cost of emergency visas alone could be several thousand dollars. Many people have told me that it was not just them, but there were others, maybe 20-30 people, who also had to line up at the counter to apply for an emergency visa for a similar reason. There was an Australian news site that reported this story and it was quite negative,” he said.
Ambassador Goledzinowski added: “As the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, I really want as many Australians as possible to come to Vietnam because your country is so wonderful. For this reason, I hope this issue will be resolved soon. If possible, offer a visa exemption for Australian tourists, like for French or German visitors.”
| For more information about Thien Minh Group (TMG), please contact:
Hotline: 1800599955 Email: [email protected] Website: https://tmgroup.vn/ |
Established in 1994, TMG has grown from a company with just three employees to an enterprise with more than 2,500 employees worldwide. Thien Minh is now Asia’s leading package travel provider, founded on the mission of always putting our clients front and center. With four business pillars: Destination Management, Hospitality, Online, Aviation – TMG is the ideal host for distinctive journeys featuring truly memorable travel experiences.
Source: Lao Động
