Countries launch campaigns to lure Vietnamese tourists

Malaysia and Singapore have been carrying out major campaigns to attract large numbers of tourists from Vietnam.

In early March this year, the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Department in Vietnam helped to promote a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City to stimulate Vietnamese people's curiosity in Malaysian cuisine.

In early June, the department launched the Malaysia Mega Sale 2024 campaign with the aim of promoting Malaysia as a top shopping destination to help the tourism sector's recovery. The national economy relies heavily on accommodation, cuisine, and tourism.

Vietnamese travelers will be able to grab special deals on travel packages, including 30% discounts on airfares and hotel bookings through its partners’ travel websites, such as Trip.com, Agoda.com, and Traveloka.com.

Malaysia has set a target of welcoming 470,000 Vietnamese tourists this year.

Currently, there are more than 130 direct flights from Vietnam to Malaysia with over 23,400 seats on offer each week. The Malaysian side expects that this figure will increase to meet the increasing travel demand between the two countries.

Along with Malaysia, on June 11, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) provided updates on initiatives to attract Vietnamese tourists in 2024. Prominent among them is the "Made in Singapore" campaign. The campaign introduces unique locations and services of the island that are considered familiar through bold and witty content, thereby bringing a new perspective on tourism.

Besides, STB has cooperated with celebrities such as Gin and Puka, the Cam Cam family, Monsimi, and Misoa to share authentic experiences and interesting activities in Singapore with Vietnamese tourists.

Malaysia and Singapore are just two of many examples of countries that are diligently promoting themselves in the Vietnamese market. The increasing promotion of tourism in Vietnam by other countries is gathering attention from local tourists, showing that Vietnamese people's demand for foreign travel is increasing.

According to the Vietnam Tourism Association, over 5 million Vietnamese people traveled abroad in 2023. Since the beginning of this year, the number has shown no sign of decreasing.

According to Serene Ng, chief representative of the STB in Vietnam, Vietnam is one of Singapore’s most important markets in Southeast Asia. In the first five months of 2024, the island nation welcomed more than 155,000 Vietnamese visitors, and this number will continue to grow as Singapore enters the peak summer tourist season.

Similarly, South Korea is also a favorite destination for Vietnamese travelers. The Korea Tourism Organization said that in Q1/2024, nearly 120,000 Vietnamese tourists visited the country, an increase of 38.9% year-on-year and 8.5% over the same period in pre-pandemic 2019. In 2023, South Korea welcomed more than 420,000 Vietnamese tourists.