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Vietnam's $25 Million Tourist Target

Vietnam tourism soars high! Latest news reports indicate that Vietnam is poised to see a tremendous surge in the number of tourists who visit year after year. 

                                               [Image: Marina Lobato @Unsplash]

Year after year, Vietnam receives around 13.9 million tourists as per news reports. In 2025, Vietnam eyes 2.75 million tourists per month for the rest of the year.

[READ: Vietnam Travel Made Easy]

As a travel and culure enthusiast, I've been to Vietnam, and trust me, it’s an absolutely stunning and picturesque travel destination! The country is a kaleidoscope of vibrant history, cultural facets and picturesque landscapes. I’m already dreaming of visiting Vietnam again and again!

                                       [Image: Hanna Marks @ Unsplash]

But there's one thing that bothers me. A lot.

Vietnam is not considering the huge potential of Indian tourists at all. 

The reliance on other countries is disappointing.

Vietnam Travel Boom Among Indian Travellers

In recent years, Vietnam is one of the top favourite destinations for Indian travellers. When I was travelling with my family, nearly every third person we bumped into or met were Indian families. 

Be it a cruise at Halong Bay or the night markets at Ho Chi Minh city, we found Indians everywhere. And everyone had several shopping bags with them, buying gifts from the local markets and splurging on themselves too.


                                                              [Image: Filipe Frietas on Unsplash]

At this time when Vietnam is aiming to boost its tourism sector, it is a huge mistake to ignore the potential of wooing more Indian travellers. Indian tourist arrivals have surged to 297% as compared to pre-pandemic levels. This highlights the explosive growth of Vietnam's travel boom from India alone.

Vietnam can assess big spenders such as the MICE (corporate travel) segment, which has shot up in favour of Vietnam as a popular destination.

Consider big Indian spenders such as those who prefer to have their weddings in Vietnam's picturesque locations, that's another huge segment to tap into. 


                                            [Image: Christian @ Unsplash]   

A logical question is: Why would Vietnam want to miss out on a high-quality, high-spending tourism model that is propelled by Indian visitors?

In its most recent visa waiver for select countries, Vietnam has not included India.

A big mistake, if I may say so.

A visa waiver for Indians would have doubled the number of travellers to Vietnam. It would have opened up travel opportunities for last minute travels, weekend trips and unplanned family holidays over a festive week!

This would have guaranteed a notable volume of travellers from India that Vietnam has overlooked.

Further, granting a visa waiver to Indian travellers would have fortified Vietnam's tourism economy to become more resilient while securing a significant portion of India's booming outbound market.

Can Vietnam hit the 25 million tourist target in 2025?

Propelled by visa waiver for select countries, this would have been easy. But the recent Typhoon Bualo has been devastating and can hit tourism footfalls too.

                                                    [Image:  Nguyễn Đại @ Unsplash]
 
Latest news reports from Vietnam suggest that the country's central and northern regions have been badly hit. Roads have been damaged. Schools and offices were destroyed. A large part of Vietnamese populaton are struggling without electricity.
Over 230,000 homes are being reported as flooded or damaged. 

The financial impact of Typhoon Bualo has been staggering. 

Initial estimates suggest losses of at least 15.9 trillion dong—which means around $603 million US dollars!

A clear tourism-centric roadmap needs to be chalked out to meet Vietnam's target of 25 million tourist arrivals in 2025, as only three months are left.

                                          [Image: Jerry Kavan on Unsplash]

Vietnam Tourism Roadmap to 25 Million Visitors 

Major regional competitors like Thailand have offered travellers with visa waivers to capture the huge Indian outbound market. To meet its $25 million tourist target, Vietnam can take a cue from this and secure its position as a favourite destination for Indian travellers. 

Easy access and direct flights to hugely popular Vietnam cities such as Hanoi, Da Nang and Phu Quoc will create the perfect momentum for sustained tourist growth.

Indian travellers, particularly the wedding and MICE segments, are known for their high-end purchases and per-trip expenditure. 

Offering visa waivers to Indian travellers will directly bring in soaring visitors from this high-yield market and address the call to boost local tourism revenue with focus on quality of visitors, not just quantity.

We are a nation of travel-loving people who love to spend on a trip. Increasingly, we love to buy gifts from countries we visit and present it to our loved ones and friends. Keeping an eye on Indian visitors and offering visa waivers will boost Vietnam's tourist arrivals and give travellers more opportunities to visit more scenic destinations!  

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