Impressive growth
As of the end of July 2024, Australia ranked 7th in the top 10 markets sending customers to Vietnam, with 281,000 visitors. This is a potential market, with a growth rate of 27% in the first 7 months of the year.
According to businesses, some important driving forces contributing to the development of the Australian tourist market in Vietnam are the government's facilitation of travel and tourism .
To date, Vietnam Airlines and VietJet have opened direct flights connecting Vietnam’s major tourist hubs, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with major Australian cities such as Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. Vietjet alone currently has 7 routes connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with the 5 largest cities, with a total of 58 flights per week.
“The strong increase in the number of Australian visitors to Vietnam is driven by many factors, including the relaxation of visa approval policies, improved tourism infrastructure and the diversification of tourism products ,” said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hanh, General Director of Intrepid Travel Company Limited in Vietnam.
According to Mr. Hanh’s observations, Australian tourists often love adventurous and exploratory travel experiences. They tend to look for new, attractive destinations with a lot of local character, so they can enjoy the space and indigenous culture in the most authentic way.
Tourists from this market are very interested in learning about the culture and history of the destination. They often choose to join tours of cultural heritage sites, museums and historical sites. This shows that they tend to enjoy exploratory experiences that have academic value as well as bring understanding.
“With beautiful beaches, rich cuisine and a diverse range of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, Vietnam is proving to be an ideal destination for Australian tourists who love new and unique experiences,” said a representative of a business specializing in the Australian market.
Attract customers strategically
In the Southeast Asian region, some prominent destinations competing with Vietnam in the race to attract the Australian market include Thailand ; Indonesia with Bali being a traditional destination for kangaroo tourists; Cambodia ; Malaysia and Singapore.
Responding to Lao Dong, Mr. Andrew Goledzinowski - Australian Ambassador to Vietnam - affirmed that the Australian tourist market is valuable to Vietnam's tourism industry and will continue to grow. "I believe that more and more Australians are visiting Vietnam, but it would be better if Vietnam actively promoted tourism more strongly" - 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 been using this utility since 2017 to apply for a visa to Vietnam.
“However, there are still some problems in the process of applying for an e-visa when traveling to Vietnam. We find that this process is not really easy, many Australians say that when they receive a visa, the information is incorrect, surprisingly, the error is often in the date of birth section,” he said.
The Ambassador analyzed that if upon arriving at the airport the Australian tourist realizes the error on the visa and it does not match the passport information, he or she will have to apply for an emergency visa at a much higher price.
“For example, an Australian family of four traveling to Vietnam, the cost of an emergency visa alone could be several thousand dollars. Many people told me that it was not just them, but there were similar cases of people queuing at the counter to apply for an emergency visa, probably about 20-30 people. An Australian news site 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 to come to Vietnam as possible because your country is so wonderful. So I hope this issue will be resolved soon. If possible, visa exemption for Australian tourists, like tourists from France or Germany.”
