TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian tourists vacationing in Vietnam in 2024 are growing rapidly. In the first quarter of this year, the number of Indonesian tourists in Vietnam increased by 188 percent compared to the period before the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to official Vietnamese government data quoted by VN Express, the number of visitors from the country in the first quarter increased by 335 percent, followed by India by 304 percent. Indonesian tourists came in third. Taiwan was next at 145 percent and Laos at 125 percent.

Asia has become Vietnam's main tourism market due to the 30-day visa-free travel for nationals of ASEAN member countries. In addition, they are increasing the number of direct flights from Southeast Asia, insiders said.

India came second as several Indian billionaires have rented luxury resorts in Phu Quoc, Da Nang, and Ha Long to host weddings. Australians are also increasingly traveling to Vietnam thanks to low airfares and a number of new direct flights from the country to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Since last August, citizens of European countries such as Spain and Germany have also been able to enjoy visa-free travel for 45 days instead of the previous 15 days. This has increased the number of tourist arrivals to Vietnam from these countries. Spanish tourists recorded an increase of 123 percent, while German tourists were among the top 10.

According to tourism authorities, the number of Chinese tourists last year was only 30 percent of the 2019 figure but increased by 69 percent in the first three months of this year.

Visa-free

Southeast Asia's tourism competition is getting tougher. Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia have already granted visa waivers for Chinese and Indian citizens. Singapore recently announced that it will consider visa exemptions for Indian tourists. Tourism experts in the country have also suggested that the Vietnamese government do the same.

Martin Koerner, head of the Vietnam Business Forum's tourism working group, said besides visa waivers, Vietnam should also improve the quality and diversity of its tourism services and open offices in key markets to attract foreign visitors.

The number of foreign tourists visiting Vietnam in January-March reached 4.6 million, up 3.2 percent against pre-pandemic levels in 2019 This figure represents a 72 percent increase from last year and 25 percent of this year's target of 18 million foreign arrivals. This is the first time the number of foreign tourists has exceeded pre-pandemic numbers since the country reopened its borders in March 2022.

VN EXPRESS | MILA NOVITA

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