International visitor numbers surge: Airlines and hotels recover.

With COVID-19 being well controlled in many countries, and the trend of gradually easing and lifting strict preventive measures, conditions are creating for a rapid recovery of international flights and the tourism industry.

Some key markets leading in international visitor numbers to Vietnam include South Korea (up over 28%), the US (up 49.6%), Thailand (up 12.7%), and Australia (up 78.7%) compared to the previous month.

According to statistics from the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority (Ministry of Transport), in January 2023, the number of passengers passing through airports reached 9.8 million, an increase of 13.8% compared to December 2022. Of these, international passengers reached 2.3 million, an increase of 10%, and domestic passengers reached 7.5 million, an increase of 15% compared to December 2022.

On peak days, Noi Bai Airport welcomes up to 27,000 passengers.

According to statistics from Noi Bai International Airport, during peak days, the airport handles up to 186 international flights, with more than 27,000 passengers arriving and departing, reaching approximately 75% of the peak level during Tet 2020 (before the COVID-19 pandemic).

Currently, air routes connecting Asian regions are experiencing high demand, such as South Korea (approximately 3,500 passengers arriving and departing daily), Taiwan (3,300 passengers arriving and departing daily), Thailand (3,100 passengers arriving and departing daily), and Japan (approximately 2,700 passengers arriving and departing daily). The Chinese market recently reopened to international tourism on January 8, 2023, and resumed group tours to 20 countries from February 6, but Vietnam is not yet on this list.

Vietnam's aviation industry is projected to fully recover by the end of 2023.

For the Vietnamese aviation market, by the end of 2022, the domestic aviation market had fully recovered and experienced high growth compared to 2019. The international market is gradually recovering and is projected to reach 2019 levels by the end of 2023. The total Vietnamese air transport market in 2023 is expected to reach approximately 80 million passengers and 1.44 million tons of cargo, representing increases of 45.4% in passengers and 15% in cargo compared to 2022. Compared to the same period before the COVID-19 pandemic (2019), this represents an increase of approximately 1% in passengers and 14.8% in cargo.

Specifically, for domestic transport, the forecast is 45.5 million passengers, a 5% increase compared to 2022 and a 22% increase compared to 2019. For cargo, the forecast is an increase of 230,000 tons, a 55% increase compared to 2022 and 85% of the 2019 figure. For international transport, the forecast is 34 million passengers, three times the 2022 figure and 83.5% of the 2019 figure. Regarding cargo, the forecast is 1.23 million tons of cargo, a 10% increase compared to 2022 and a 22.4% increase compared to 2019.

Hotel supply in Ho Chi Minh City has increased sharply.

According to data from Savills Vietnam, as of the end of 2022, the supply of hotel rooms in Ho Chi Minh City reached over 15,500 rooms from 111 projects, an 8% year-on-year increase and nearly reaching pre-pandemic levels.

Despite improvements in 2022, occupancy rates and average room rates remained lower than pre-pandemic levels. Occupancy reached 45%, a 20 percentage point increase year-on-year but 23 percentage points lower than in 2019.

The average room rate reached VND 1.6 million/room/night, up 21% year-on-year but still 18% lower than in 2019. The 5-star segment saw the most significant improvement, with occupancy rates increasing by 24 percentage points year-on-year and average room rates rising by 44% year-on-year.

In Q4 2022, occupancy reached 62%, a 4 percentage point increase quarter-on-quarter. Meanwhile, the average room rate reached VND 1.8 million/room/night, a 9% increase quarter-on-quarter.

Yen Nhi