Improving aviation infrastructure and logistics key to attracting foreign tourists

Foreign tourists landed at Tân Sơn Nhất Airport. Việt Nam needs to improve the aviation infrastructure and logistics to develop tourism destination brand and attract international tourists. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt

Việt Nam needs to improve its aviation infrastructure and logistics to develop tourism and attract international visitors, heard at a conference held by the Institute for Brand and Competitiveness Strategy (BCSI) late last week.

BCSI Director Võ Trí Thành said these actions are crucial to promoting tourism by enhancing visitor experiences.

Võ Huy Cường, former Deputy Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam, said that Việt Nam’s the aviation market has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, with more than 41 million international arrivals in total this year, including people coming on business trips, is an increase of 27 per cent over 2023. International arrivals and departures are expected to grow by more than 10 per cent in 2025.

With an annual growth rate forecast to remain steady at 5-6 per cent per year, Việt Nam's aviation industry is expected to handle around 150 million passengers by 2035 and 200 million by 2040, 1.9 times and 2.5 times higher than in 2019, respectively.

“It’s time for Việt Nam’s tourism to take off,” Cường said.

However, he pointed out that rising domestic airfares have recently affected the tourism industry. A lack of coordination among carriers, localities and tour operators also continue to hinder tourism development.

Cường stressed that it is necessary to enhance the quality of retail services and facilities at airports as well as providing flight services during early morning and late night hours, with prices reduced by around 20-30 per cent.

Tour operators, hotels, recreation complexes and tourist sports should work together to launch attractive promotion programmes to stimulate demand for night flights and optimise tourists' experiences.

The development of railways, expressways and other means of transport is also important to provide persified options for tourists, he added.

General Secretary of the Việt Nam Tourism Association Vũ Quốc Trí said that Việt Nam’s tourism development strategy emphasises sustainable and inclusive tourism in line with green growth.

To become an attractive tourist destination, the focus must be on improving green tourism infrastructure towards prosperity and sustainability, which requires an active role from the Government, he said.

Lê Tuấn Anh, Head of the Tourism Management and International Languages Faculty at the Hà Nội University of Culture, said that the aviation industry not only plays a role as a bridge connecting tourists and Việt Nam, but can also be a decisive factor in the return of tourists.

“We have gone through a stage of mass tourism development. The price is only a part. Quality is now important. Quality integrates many values, especially cultural values, to create an attractive destination,” he said.

Participants at the conference also discussed solutions to efficiently exploit the international flight network to and from Việt Nam and to develop a brand for Việt Nam tourism along with green tourism.

On February 24, 2024, the Prime Minister issued a directive on developing tourism rapidly and sustainably, asking relevant ministries and agencies to study and implement solutions to enhance the quality of aviation and logistics services to promote tourism.

Statistics from the Việt Nam National Authority of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism showed that the number of international tourists to Việt Nam totalled nearly 16 million in the first 11 months of this year, up 41 per cent over the same period last year. Việt Nam expects to receive up to 18 million international tourists in 2024, up 3 per cent over 2023. Tourism revenue is estimated to reach VNĐ840 trillion (US$33 billion).