China Vietnam Travel Sentiment Survey May 2020

Overview

Vietnam’s remarkable reopening of its domestic travel sector is expected to be replicated in its quest to restore their international tourism profile. Vietnam’s tourism industry has effectively led the pack in Southeast Asia with a focus on the all-important driver of demand – airlift. 

VIETNAM’S INTERNATIONAL TOURIST ARRIVALS (2019)

In a new survey of qualified travelers in China we focused on overseas travel sentiment for the remainder of 2020 and specifically Chinese inbound tourism to Vietnam. The research was undertaken in first-tier cities in China and carried out in late April by C9 Hotelworks and Delivering Asia Communications with the objective of taking a forward look at how hotels and tourism stakeholders can proactively address the market recovery process going forward.

The results of the survey highlight that Chinese travelers who favour sightseeing and eating as key tourism activities also have a strong appetite for nature-based experiences. It was interesting to see growing interest in Vietnam’s Sapa as a destination.

Moving to conclusions on China traveler sentiment for Vietnam is that one in three respondents is in the 20–29 year age group. These younger travelers are reflected in rising sentiment with 81% of those surveyed saying they would choose independent travel vs. group tours. This fact, coupled by younger Chinese booking travel digitally via WeChat and Fliggy, is a new twist in Vietnam’s marketing to China inbound tourists.