Potential "gold mine"
In recent years, Vietnam has continuously welcomed many Indian tourist groups. According to the General Statistics Office, in the first seven months of 2024, Indian tourists ranked 7th in the top 10 largest international tourist source markets of Vietnam with 272,000 visitors, an increase of 127% over the same period in 2023.
Specifically, in the first 7 months of 2024, Vietravel welcomed about 6,000 Indian visitors, a remarkable increase compared to 2023 when it welcomed only more than 1,000 visitors. Among them, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Long and Da Nang are the top destinations for Indian tourists because these places not only bring rich cultural and historical experiences but also suit the exploration interests of Indian tourists.
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| Indian tourists to Hanoi (Source: Vnexpress.net) |
For the Indian market, Vietnam has a strong attraction from beautiful natural landscapes, vibrant culture, natural heritage imbued with indigenous culture and supported by simple visa procedures and favorable geographical factors such as the distance between the two countries and 4-5 hour direct flights.
Notably, many billionaires in the world, including Indian billionaires, especially love and choose famous places in Vietnam such as Da Nang and Phu Quoc as places to hold luxurious weddings with hundreds of high-class guests.
As for Vietnam, the Indian market of more than 1.4 billion people, with a strong middle class and many people willing to spend a lot on tourism, is a very important factor for businesses to focus on exploiting.
However, exploiting the Indian market is not easy because tourists have different cultural characteristics, beliefs and living habits, requiring very strict services and standards.
In order to meet the needs of Indian customers, the unit has also focused on developing many tour products with activities such as visiting historical sites, exploring traditional craft villages and participating in local festivals. In addition, Vietravel also provides other services such as: Preparing vegetarian meals or Indian-style dishes, visa support services, travel information and customer care services.
Welcoming a group of more than 4,500 Indian tourists
According to the plan, from August 27 to September 7, a pharmaceutical billionaire in the top five richest people in India will bring 4,500 employees to Vietnam for tourism. Notably, this Indian billionaire will also be present and visit famous destinations in Vietnam with his employees, including Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh in small groups. This is also the first time a Vietnamese travel agency has recorded such a large number of Indian tourists.
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| Indian tourists to Vietnam (Source: laodong.vn) |
The itinerary to explore Hanoi includes famous destinations of the capital such as Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison.
Sharing his feelings when arriving in Hanoi for a tour, Mr. Raja Dasm, one of the Indian guests, said: "This is the first time I have come to Vietnam. For Indians today, Vietnam is a tourist destination that everyone wants to visit. Through visiting Hanoi, I saw beautiful scenery and friendly people."
And Mr. Tanay Das said: "I have heard a lot about Vietnam through videos with subtitles on Youtube. Vietnam is a very beautiful country. We visited the city, walked around your streets, everywhere is wonderful. We will go to Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh. I plan to come back, bring my wife and son to travel to Vietnam."
The Indian guests stayed at 10 luxury hotels in Hanoi. Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism Tran Trung Hieu said: "To welcome this large-scale Indian delegation, Hanoi Department of Tourism has directed destinations and hotels to improve service quality and ensure food safety. We are closely coordinating to support and create the most favorable conditions for the delegation in their journey to explore Hanoi."
The event is also expected to create a media effect, widely promoting the image of Vietnamese tourism to the Indian market in particular and the world market in general in terms of its ability to serve large-scale delegations in a professional and classy manner.
This will contribute to the development of Vietnam's tourism industry commensurate with its potential advantages, aiming to make tourism a spearhead economic sector, achieving more growth results than in the previous period./.