Some 70% of tourists intend to resume traveling by the fourth quarter of 2020, while a quarter of travelers are willing to spend over VND2 million per night at hotels on their personal trips and less on business trips, according to a traveler survey conducted in the midst of Vietnam’s second wave of Covid-19 infections by Indochina Capital and Wink Hotels.
A view of a hotel room. Many five-star hotels have reduced their room prices to attract tourists – Photo: Van Ly
Conducted in mid-August 2020, the survey had 700 participants, 90% of whom were Vietnamese and 10% foreigners, and aimed at helping hoteliers and hospitality players grasp the new domestic tourism landscape.
Based on the survey, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism can push forward domestic tourism stimulus programs, while travel and hospitality companies can gear up to launch new campaigns.
The survey indicated that over 99% of respondents confirmed they travel at least once a year domestically for leisure, while 83.7% said they travel at least twice a year.
Though the survey was conducted just after the second wave of infections in Vietnam, 68% of respondents expected to resume traveling soon, which shows their eagerness to travel and confidence in the Government’s handling of the pandemic.
“Tourism and real estate are bound to be major building blocks for economic recovery. As Vietnam's travelers are already planning their next domestic trip, the economy is going to rely on consumers to return to their pre-Covid spending levels, which should be enabled by travel. With borders slowly and carefully being reopened, the domestic market will be the main driver of economic recovery,” said Michael Piro, COO at Indochina Capital and CEO at Wink Hotels.
The survey highlighted the dominance of online channels for brand touchpoints and accommodation booking, with 64% of travelers conducting their bookings through online travel agencies and 91% relying on digital advertisements for their hotel browsing.
Also, the survey underlined that Vietnam's travelers prefer short leisure trips of fewer than four nights, with the majority of business trips lasting no more than two nights.