Tourism Trends

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) forecasts: Wellness tourism will grow strongly. Global Wellness Institute (GWI - Global Health Institute) once estimated that this type of tourism can achieve an average annual growth of 7.5%, reaching a revenue of 919 billion USD in 2022, accounting for 18% of world tourism. In particular, the Asia-Pacific region continues to be the leading market for wellness tourism, with a forecast of 40% of the global market share in this segment in 2023. Therefore, Vietnam is taking advantage of wellness tourism to develop a variety of products that can meet market demand and adapt to the complicated situation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wellness tourism offers rest, relaxation, beauty, personal care services. With this type of tourism, clients not only make visits but also live the experiences of Zen, yoga, Ayurvedic, thermal bath ... for their physical and mental balance. It is the preferred type of tourism for families and groups of friends because it satisfies both the need to contemplate the beautiful landscapes and the need for healthy experiences. In reality, this type is still new in Vietnam, its potential is not sufficiently exploited and it is sometimes considered as an additional service for leisure tourism and eco-tourism. The experiences often lived by the tourists are thermal bath, spa therapy with medicinal plants, bath of medicinal leaves, sauna with medicinal plants, and so on. Several localities such as Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Khanh Hoa, Da Nang, Quang Ninh, Tuyen Quang, Hoa Binh, Ninh Binh… take advantage of their natural resources to promote this type of tourism with activities such as yoga on the beach, cycling in the woods, therapeutic massage… Taking into account their potential, some localities focus on the development of this type of tourism such as Thua Thien Hue province with its system of cultivation of medicinal plants combined with traditional medicine for the promotion of wellness tourism.

Another recent hot trend is Staycation - Vacation Home. In the context of COVID-19 and due to the difficulties of travel, the choice of this mode of tourism is suitable for people who wish to change their routines and living spaces. The advantages of Staycation are cost savings, proactive time and project management, flexibility of activities. Staycation is often linked to resorts, ecological sites, and farms with various activities. This type of tourism is developed in the form of local tourism in the “green” areas of provinces such as Quang Ninh, Khanh Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Binh, Da Nang, Quang Nam ... where the COVID - 19 pandemic is under control.

Alongside this, relaxation holidays isolated or connected to nature, ecotourism are the most popular trends at the moment. The resorts in the mountains, on the islands, in the countryside and on farms far from the cities are becoming the preferred destinations. These places are sparsely populated, isolated, quiet, and safe. This trend creates different products and types of travel. For example, “backpacker” trips for young people passionate about discoveries and adventures or luxury stays in isolated areas with closed-circuit services and demanding standards. This is a type of tourism in which the provinces, cities of the country are interested during the process of experimentation to revive international tourism.

Orientations and solutions for the revival of tourism

Having captured the tourist trends and basing itself on the concrete situation of each locality, Vietnam recommends orientations and proposes solutions for the reopening of tourism. Many campaigns and projects are activated with the slogans “Vietnamese travel to Vietnam” and “Safe and interesting Vietnam trips”. Furthermore, plans to reopen destinations, safe tourism procedures, new immigration policies, updated information on new tourism programs, preferential policies are launched in provinces and cities. The local authorities create all favorable conditions for the gradual resumption of tourist activities offered to local and international visitors with the appropriate vaccination certificate to the international recognition system.

The long shutdown of tourism activities requires the tourism sector to make necessary changes appropriate to markets and visitors' tastes. The Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism should therefore define the diversification of products responding to new market trends, guidelines for the promotion of sustainable tourism products, safe tourism, tourism linked to nature and the protection of health; support investment in tourism products that meet the needs of diversified market changes (night tourism products and services, gastronomic tourism, agricultural tourism, golf tourism, medical tourism) and so on. Several provinces, cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Khanh Hoa, Quang Ninh, Quang Nam, Da Nang, Can Tho, Kien Giang, Thanh Hoa… developed the projects and implemented them gradually.

Nature-related tourism is a preferred trend for the post-COVID-19 period. Photo: Mai Chau, Hoa Binh is a popular destination for visitors for its natural charm.

On the other hand, to create momentum for tourism recovery, the Ministry of Culture, Sport, and Tourism encourages companies to launch products to stimulate demand with preferential policies and quality commitment; help them reconnect to face-to-face and online markets. The development of the smart tourism system, the application of modern technologies, the digital conversion must be promoted because the trend of safe tourism is based on modern technologies to avoid direct contact. Vaccination passport control, visitor identification, travel and accommodation management ... are integrated into the digital system, which facilitates the entry and resolution of incidents and ensures security. On this basis, the application “Safe tourism in Vietnam”, the registration and declaration system www.safe.tourism.com.vn, the vaccination certification system (www.travelpass.tourism.vn) at the service of international visitors are gradually being implemented. Some localities like Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, proactively accelerate the application of digital technologies in the propaganda and promotion of tourism products, open e-commerce markets on tourism, organize forums to introduce destinations and connect businesses online.

The Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism continues to support businesses to accelerate the recovery of tourism activities; offers them loan programs with preferential policies for the resumption of operations, the payment of wages to employees, market research, the creation of new products and services; applies tax exemption and reduction policies for the costs of stimulating demand, creating new tourism products and services; helps them to achieve the digital conversion and especially the training of human resources in the tourism sector adapted to the new context. On the other hand, the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism continues to recognize the difficulties, receive proposals from localities in the process of resuming tourist activities in order to offer them solutions. The problems of vaccination, the inconsistency in travel regulations between localities must be resolved as a matter of priority.

Currently, the safety factor in the long process of resuming tourism activities is a priority. Choosing the right solutions and developing the right directions can create a springboard for the tourism industry to “break the ice” in the days to come.