Visa changes offer smoother entry

Mr. Martin Koener, Chairman of the Tourism Committee, Vietnam Business Forum

Vietnam will position itself as an appealing destination for international travelers seeking a memorable and immersive experience by streamlining the visa application process, expanding the list of e-visa eligible countries, and providing greater flexibility for travelers. These policies will also showcase Vietnam's commitment to embracing global tourism and fostering cultural exchanges while making a positive contribution to the economy and labor market.

The country should enhance its marketing and communication efforts to raise awareness and interest among potential travelers about the new visa policies and the benefits they offer, such as greater flexibility, convenience, and affordability. Further, the official website portal where travelers apply for e-visas should be upgraded visually and the domain name changed to an easier-to-remember international one. Vietnam should also improve the quality and diversity of tourism products and services to meet the expectations and demands of different types of travelers, as well as upgrade the tourism infrastructure and facilities to ensure safety, accessibility, and comfort for travelers.

Despite the new visa policies and the domestic travel recovery, Vietnam's tourism industry still faces some challenges that need to be addressed. One of them is the lack of diversity and quality of tourism products and services, which requires Vietnam to reinvent the traditional tourism trajectory and offer more experiences that cater to the needs and preferences of different types of travellers. Another challenge is the environmental and social issues, which demand Vietnam to address the problems of littering and rubbish reduction, which affect the environment and the attractiveness of tourism destinations as well as the return traveler rate. It also needs to balance the economic benefits of tourism with the preservation of natural and cultural heritage and the well-being of local communities.

Mr. Julian Wong, General Manager, Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers

The new tourist visa policies which extend stay period for both e-visa as well as countries granted with visa waiver would definitely be a huge boost in encouraging international arrivals to Vietnam. This decision is an important leverage to boost Vietnam's tourism goals notably the pace in which international tourists return. More flexible visa procedures could lead to a considerable increase in tourist trips and spend, which will augur well for the hospitality industry still in the midst of recovering. In the first half of the year, Vietnam somehow lost share of the global tourism arrivals and its visa policies then could be a contributory factor to the slower recovery pace. It is therefore a good sign to see significant changes made recently with the extended stay directive, which will definitely improve Vietnam's tourism competitiveness as well as drive a faster recovery in international arrivals to the country.

The process to obtain a visa entails a relatively long waiting period which cause challenges for many travelers needing to travel on short notices. This may explain why some travelers choose to change their intended destination to other SEA countries instead especially for those traveling on a short notice. Since the ease in the process to obtain a visa is a key determinant to the traveler's destination selection, our recommendation is to make the process more accessible and faster, and to make the application process shorter for those coming for business purpose or to work in Vietnam.

As the new visa policies offer more flexibility and capability to spend a longer period in Vietnam for travelers, we should see a bigger influx of tourist arrivals especially towards Q4 when the leisure travel season kicks in. What the hospitality sector could do is to localize some of the stay experiences dependent on the source markets the hotels or resorts are targeting at. The localization of stays covers language capable staffing, dining experiences and offerings, country specific language information as well as in room amenities.

Mr. Patrick Farrell, Director of Sales & Marketing, Six Senses Ninh Van Bay

The new visa policies are an excellent move to encourage more travelers to Vietnam. I believe as a direct result, the volume of travelers arriving in the coming months and years will increase in number and have a positive impact on the hospitality sector. In particular for the luxury segment, there will naturally be a knock-on effect, which will hopefully bring an increase to the average length of stay in hotels and resorts, as travelers ultimately feel less rushed to leave the country within 15 days.

Sharing the news with key travel partners and on direct marketing channels of the property is key. Informing the world that 'Vietnam is open and wants to welcome you' must be a key message. Ensuring hospitality teams are well briefed on the information is also key. The more people that know about this positive change, the better!

However, Vietnam still needs to expand its visitor visa exemption list to encompass more countries and in particular countries that are known to have a high-income to spend on travel. Whilst the most recent step is positive, there is more that can be done. In addition to the extension of visas to more countries, the international arrival experience at both Saigon and Hanoi airports must be reviewed, in order that Vietnam can compete with other destinations.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Bich, CEO, Rustic Hospitality Group

Vietnam's visa policy, before being approved by the National Assembly, was seen as a bottleneck for the entry of foreign tourists. Tourism businesses have been asking for many years to remove this bottleneck to become a driving force for the economy as a whole. The new policy will have a great impact on not only the tourism industry but also on other sectors such as agriculture and commerce, especially F&B and accommodation. The increase in the number of international tourists also increases the demand for transport, accommodation and entertainment activities, shopping. Therefore, tourism auxiliary sectors also need to prepare a variety of products and improve the quality of services to meet the needs of international tourists.

However, high-quality tourism services call for high-quality human resources. Almost 80 per cent of qualified tourism workers have looked for other jobs after Covid-19, and have no intention of returning to the industry. It is crucial for the sector to tackle the staffing shortage issue and improve the quality of human resources, first of all, by eliminating the instability of employee compensation policies.

The overdevelopment of Vietnam's tourism industry, is also an issue that needs to be discussed. Overtourism as well as the concreting of natural tourist sites have partially damaged the promotion of tourism products associated with traditional architecture, local culture and natural resources. Dialogues between managers, policymakers, businesses and workers in the industry are the first step in elaborating policies for the sustainable exploitation of tourism activities.

Mr. Tran Tuan Huy, Head of Marketing, Hanoitourist

Entry visa waiver is one of the solutions that have a significant and positive impact on Vietnam's tourism industry, promoting the growth of international tourists to Vietnam after the Covid-19 pandemic, bringing great economic benefits and increasing the value of exports through tourism.

A tour to explore Vietnam usually lasts 15-18 days. Therefore, extending the visa-free period will help the tourism industry in general to attract more foreign tourists. It is also an opportunity to attract international investors to Vietnam and promote the organization of international trade and investment fairs. The longer visitors stay in Vietnam, the more they spend, making the tourism industry a major source of foreign currency.

Vietnam still lacks overseas tourism promotion units to deeply study customer needs and trends in each market, leading to low efficiency in promoting Vietnam's tourism, poor information, and insensitive marketing approaches. Relevant ministries, sectors and agencies need to study opening tourism offices in key markets such as Western Europe, Australia, Japan, South Korea and the US. In addition, the sector can take advantage of different channels and platforms, such as social networks, online travel agencies, influencers and travel bloggers, to improve the effectiveness of domestic and foreign tourism promotion.