Nearly 13 million international visitors to Vietnam in the last 10 months, equivalent to the number of international visitors to Vietnam in the whole of 2017, according to the General Statistics Office.
Along with Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, the quality of services and infrastructure of many destinations in our country has continuously been improved. This leads to the rise of becoming tourists attractions, especially for international visitors in recent years.
The dawn of the Rai cave in Ninh Thuan
The most prominent of the destinations attracting foreign visitors is Nha Trang. In 2017, Nha Trang ranked in the top 3 for island tourism in the world, only after Phuket and Bali. This ranking is even higher than the Maldives. In the 2010-2017 period, the number of visitors to Khanh Hoa increased sharply at 17% per year. In Particular, international tourists increased by 27% per year and domestic visitors increased by 13% per year. In the first half of 2018, the number of international tourists rose significantly at 47% compared to the same period last year.
Another new tourist attraction following Nha Trang is Da Nang. With a rich tourism infrastructure, a diverse number of accommodation facilities and entertainment services, Da Nang is a new destination that is especially attractive to northeast Asian visitors such as China, Korea, and Japan. In the 2010-2017 period, the number of visitors to Da Nang went up dramatically at 20% per year. In particular, international tourists rose by up to 30% per year. In the first half of 2018, the number of visitors in Da Nang reached 4 million, rising up to 29% compared to the same period in 2017. International tourists are estimated to reach more than 1.6 million, rising up to nearly 50% over the same period in 2017.
In the North, with the advantage of being favored by nature, Quang Ninh is also making its mark on the tourism map of Vietnam with the high-speed tourism growth in recent years. The average growth rate of visitors in Quang Ninh in the 2010-2017 period reached over 17% per year. In 2017, Quang Ninh reached 10 million visitors, a sharp increase of 20% compared to 2016. Particularly, foreign tourists increased by 22%, reaching 4.3 million, equivalent to 33% of the total number of those in Vietnam. In the first half of 2018, the number of foreign visitors increased by 14% compared to the same period last year, reaching more than 2.4 million, ranking the third in the country after Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Hon Thom cable car in Phu Quoc is the world’s longest three-wire one
Over the past few years, Phu Quoc has continued to become a favorite destination for international visitors. In 2017, the number of visitors to Phu Quoc rose sharply at 52%. In particular, foreign tourists went up by 27% while domestic ones increased by 56%. In the first half of 2018, the number of tourists grew dramatically at 70.9% compared to the same period last year, reaching nearly 0.3 million. And there were about 1.4 million domestic visitors, an increase of approximately 19% compared to the same period last year. Phu Quoc has become a new destination. However, in terms of absolute data, the number of visitors is still not commensurate with the potential.
Along with destinations, Vietnam’s tourism market needs new factors to create a boost for growth.
Starting on October 23, Phu Quoc was suddenly bustled by charter flights landing daily at the airport, bringing numerous Russian tourists to visit the sunny island all year round. Each flight is full of more than 200 passengers every day. Every month, Phu Quoc welcomes 6,000 Russian visitors on charter flights. On average, each Russian guest has stayed in Phu Quoc for 12 days. This influx of tourists has “consumed” many rooms in Phu Quoc. Tourism in Phu Quoc is having a dramatic growth opportunity.
When speaking of the influx of Russian visitors, it is obvious to mention Crystal Bay Group, owned by the chairman Mr. Nguyen Duc Chi. He is a businessman who is very knowledgeable and passionate about the tourism industry. In 2017, there were nearly 500,000 Russian visitors to Nha Trang, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, to which Crystal Bay “contributed” more than 300,000 visitors. The influx of Russian tourists in Phu Quoc for more than a week is the beginning of a new destination for a Crystal Bay business member. Also in 2017, 18 charter flights flew consecutively between Russia and Vietnam with 1,300 flights. There were more than 3 million rooms of hotels and resorts rented by Crystal Bay per night.
Many Russian tourists have come to Vietnam to visit Phu Quoc
Air transport in the form of chartering a flight is just a component of the tourism ecosystem that Crystal Bay has built up over the last few years. This ecosystem includes services (company tour systems, other hotel operations management companies, yacht operations management companies, etc.) and tourism development and investment (multifunctional tourism projects in Nha Trang, Ninh Thuan, Quang Ninh; shipbuilding company, park investment and exploitation company as well as other commercial and service companies, etc.).
With the improvement of Vietnam's tourism infrastructure and the participation of many big investors such as Vingroup, Sun Group, FLC, CEO group, etc., many new destinations in Vietnam have become more and more attractive to foreign visitors, creating a driving force for the new growth in the tourism industry.
The number of hotels staying is constantly rising. Places of entertainment are increasingly diverse. Along with the tourism ecosystem and the increased influx of Russian and Indian tourists, a lot of new destinations will be “revealed” such as Van Don, Ninh Thuan, etc. They will become the new growth poles of Vietnam tourism.
Tags: Vietnam tourism, Phu Quoc, attractive tourist destination, foreign tourists, travel Vietnam, Crystal Bay, tourist attractions, international visitors