QUANG NAM – The world-renowned city of Hoi An in Quang Nam Province has so much to offer everyone, from domestic and Asian to Western tourists.
Nguyen Van Lanh, vice chairman of the Hoi An City People’s Committee, said tourism markets have changed. Domestic tourists are replacing international visitors in the short term. However, Lanh said that in the long run, it is necessary to attract foreign tourists because Hoi An has so much to offer.
In the near future, Hoi An will have to effectively harmonize domestic, Asian and Western tourists for sustainable development, Lanh said, adding that the local government has just announced a program, “Hoi An people travel to Hoi An.”
The program aims to create a vibrant scene of tourism activities in the city, preparing to welcome international tourists to Hoi An after the resumption of commercial flights. This program will also help locals and tourists better understand the cultural and historical value of Hoi An as well as green tourism models.
The annual program will have several highlights to be held during some months of the year.
Besides domestic guests, Hoi An City and Quang Nam Province are still awaiting international visitors to return.
Since May, the My Son Holy Land received some 350 visitors every day, nearly one-third of them are foreigners. It is a modest number, but to a favored destination of Westerners like My Son, the figure is positive.
According to the My Son Cultural Heritage Authority, to attract more tourists, it is necessary to lure international markets.
According to the Quang Nam Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, out of some 2.3 million arrivals to the central province in the first six months of the year, 91,000 were international ones. This was up six times year-on-year, but quite low compared to the same period in 2019.
It is predicted that the number of foreign tourists returning to Vietnam will stabilize by mid-2023 at the earliest. This is also the basis for travel businesses in Quang Nam to develop suitable products and services for the remaining months of 2022 and the coming years.
Since the end of June, a series of international flights to Danang City (neighboring Hoi An) were resumed, mainly from the Asian markets. It is expected that in the third quarter of 2022, Vietjet – a Vietnamese low-cost air carrier – will continue to open seven new international routes connecting Danang with Singapore, South Korea and India, opening up great opportunities to resume the flow of international passengers to the central region, including Quang Nam.
Therefore, in the short term, Vietnam will have to focus on exploiting traditional tourist markets such as South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, ASEAN and Western Europe.
In a long term, Vietnam can grasp opportunities to tap other potential markets such as India, the United States, the Middle East and Russian-speaking markets, aimed at diversifying visitors.
