Vietnam's tourism industry seeks ways to attract European tourists.

The WTM London 2023 international travel fair, held from November 6th to 8th at the ExCeL London International Exhibition and Convention Centre in London, United Kingdom, continued to see the presence of representatives from Vietnam.

On the afternoon of November 7th (local time), at the Saigontourist Group - Vietnam Airlines booth in the WTM London 2023 exhibition space, a "Happy Hour" event took place – a business networking party and a "Lucky Draw" program. Partners and visitors enjoyed various drinks and snacks, participated in games, and received many valuable and attractive gifts from the two Vietnamese companies.

Mr. Pham Huy Binh, chairman of Saigontourist Group, said the group participated in the event to continue focusing on promoting tourism and recovering international tourists in the post-COVID-19 period, especially the European, British and neighboring countries' markets with high revenue potential.

Accordingly, Saigontourist Group and its member units have implemented numerous promotional programs to boost the promotion of Vietnamese tourism to high-quality tourist markets in Europe and other key international markets.

Europe and the UK have consistently been important international markets for the company over the past decades.

Prior to the pandemic, Saigontourist Travel (a subsidiary of Saigontourist Group) served approximately 111,000 European tourists annually visiting Vietnam via air and sea tours, of which British tourists accounted for 58,005, or about 52.6%.

In 2022, an estimated 35,000 European tourists traveled through Saigontourist Travel's services, including over 1,000 British nationals. Conversely, last year, tens of thousands of Vietnamese tourists also visited Europe.

Meanwhile, hotels, resorts, golf courses, convention centers, and other facilities belonging to Saigontourist Group in Ho Chi Minh City and other locations nationwide annually welcome and serve over 500,000 European and British tourists, generating billions of VND in revenue.

According to statistics, tourists from European countries are not among the top 10 largest source markets for tourists to Vietnam in the first few months of the year, but this group of tourists consistently has high spending power and a fondness for Vietnamese local culture.

To bring this group of tourists back in large numbers, in addition to promotional programs, there is a need for supportive policies to attract them to choose Vietnam over other destinations. This is especially important in the context of a challenging global economy, where tourists are more hesitant to shop, while European tourists are mainly retirees.

Spending by this group of tourists has decreased due to the rising cost of living, so future tour packages in Vietnam must be adjusted accordingly.

Currently, some travel companies have designed new tours that are more economical, optimizing costs for the tour itinerary without compromising quality or increasing prices. For example, adding train or bus experiences to the tour instead of flying, choosing suitable menus, etc.

According to the plan, in the last two months of the year, Vietnam's tourism industry aims to welcome an additional 2.5 - 3 million international visitors, and may achieve the target of welcoming more than 12 million visitors this year.