Vietnam sees opportunity in Chinese tourist

slump caused by marine standoff

Chinese tourist arrivals are decreasing, partly due to bilateral tensions that resurfaced last month, according to a spokesperson for
Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
Vietnam elcomed more than !"#,$$$ foreign tourists last month, don nearly %$ percent from April, VNAT announced early this
eek, noting that a sharp drop in Chinese arrivals accounted for the overall decline.
Vn&'press reported that in addition to the tensions sparked by China(s deployment of an oil rig into Vietnam(s e'clusive economic
)one on *ay +, the slump could also be attributed to the beginning of the lo season.
Almost no Chinese tourists entered the country through Vietnam,s northern border gates and several Chinese travel companies
canceled tours that ould have brought tourists to Vietnam by air.
-ome local travel companies reported a reduction of .$ percent in their revenues last month, as Chinese tourists canceled tours to
Vietnam, Vn&'press reported.
/y Tat Vinh of the Cho /on Tourist Company in 0o Chi *inh City told the ebsite that his company(s Chinese business had declined
by 1$2#$ percent year on year.
A representative from the 0uong 3iang Travel Company in 0anoi said the company is in trouble, as +$ percent of its sales come
from Chinese tourists, but it has received no bookings during the last month.
The slodon also hit hotels.
The nes site 4uoted an employee at the Nhat Thao 0otel in 0C*C(s backpacker area as saying that beteen five and ten Chinese
customers once booked rooms every month, but they hadn,t seen any since last month, adding that most of their customers are no
from &urope.
A representative from the Tan 0oang /ong 0otel in 5istrict 6, here Chinese visitors often stay, said the number of Chinese
customers has fallen by half22from around !$$ a month.
5uong 5uy *y, director general of 7indsor 8la)a, also complained that the sea tensions have caused troubles for his hotel, after
%$$ percent of their Chinese customers canceled their bookings.
Shift in focus
VNAT chief Nguyen Van Tuan told the ebsite that for many years China has been the largest market for Vietnam(s tourism ith its
citi)ens accounting for some +6 percent of Vietnam,s international arrivals.
0oever, Chinese tourists mainly travel by road and spend very little, beteen 9-:1$$2!6$ each person, he said.
*any Vietnamese tourism officials and e'perts believe that the slump in Chinese arrivals ill present an opportunity for travel
businesses to focus on markets that offer big spenders.
5uring a recent tourism conference, the *inistry of Culture, -ports and Tourism proposed government solutions for the current
slodon, like suspending promotional activities in China and reallocating those budgets to other key markets.
The *iddle &ast, ;ndia, ;ndonesia, <apan, and -outh =orea have been considered potential markets for Vietnam, according to
Vn&'press.
Vu The >inh, chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said Vietnam recently opened its first overseas tourism office in <apan,
hich is considered ?the most important@ market.
The opening of the tourism office is e'pected to boost the number of <apanese arrivals to over a million in the coming yearsA in order
to achieve that target, Vietnamese businesses needs to introduce ne and better products, >inh said.
Bfficial figures sho that hile <apan is the third largest market ith some !$#,$$$ tourists last year, its tourists spent the most.
Travel company representatives told Vn&'press that they are focusing on local tourists, offering discounts to attract them hile
seeking ne markets.
0oever, a 0anoi travel company spokesoman (speaking on condition of anonymity) said it ill take time and money to make an
effective shift aay from their reliance on the Chinese market.
The company tried, in the past, to invest in a ne market ithout success.
-ince it opened five years ago, the company that has relied on Chinese tourists for .$ percent of its sales, and even opened a
representative office in >eiCing.
7ithout any Chinese bookings in the last month, the company has had to sack half its staff, she said.
>ut, she remained hopeful that the market ould rebound before the year,s end, adding that they remain in close contact ith their
Chinese partners.