Indonesia - Preferred Destination for Vietnamese Tourists

Indonesia is becoming a favored destination for Vietnamese travelers this summer, thanks to its streamlined policies on direct flights, competitive service pricing, and high-quality destinations. Bali, in particular, stands out as a favored spot, with Vietnamese tourists representing 30-40% of outbound travel bookings through tour operators.

Sunrise dolphin watching at Lovina beach is a special tourism product of Bali (Photo provided by GoldenTour)

Vietnam is key market for Indonesian tourism

According to the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, the number of Vietnamese tourists visiting Indonesia, particularly Bali, is experiencing significant growth. From January to May 2024, there were 45,370 arrivals from Vietnam. This figure was expected to reach 96,000 arrivals in 2024, of which visitors to Bali will account for 60%.

This growth is mainly driven by favorable factors such as the expansion of Vietjet's direct flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Bali, said Mr. Dadang Djatnika, Deputy Director of the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board in Southeast Asia.

"Vietnam is considered a potential market with many development opportunities for the Indonesian tourism industry. Bali's tourism products that are interested by Vietnamese tourists include unique culture, beautiful natural landscapes and luxurious resort services. Additionally, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) travelers from Vietnam are making a substantial impact on Bali’s tourism sector, with such supporting activities as souvenirs, cultural performances and other related services," he stated.

A survey into outbound travel companies in Vietnam showed that Indonesia is a destination chosen by many Vietnamese tourists thanks to the newness and uniqueness of the destination. Most tours to Indonesia use high-end accommodation services and 4–5-star hotels. At the same time, to stimulate demand and enhance competition, travel companies with Indonesia tours have coordinated to implement many summer promotion programs like upgrading hotel ratings, giving vouchers, offering discounts and presenting many attractive gifts for customers who book early tours or travel in groups.

Pham Tien Dung, Director of Golden Tour, a tour operator with eight-year experience with Indonesia tours, said, to meet customer needs, last summer, his company launched dozens of upmarket Indonesia tours with specialized service quality and many special incentive programs to attract customers. Accordingly, customers can take advantage of several exclusive offers, including a 10% discount for early bookings, complimentary room upgrades for groups of six or more, and a spa voucher valued at VND500,000 per guest.

"The new culturally rich destination, high-class service, competitive prices and many promotions are the reasons why this company has achieved significant success, capturing 40% of Vietnamese outbound group tours to Indonesia this summer," he said.

Tour alliance - New trend in tourist attraction

A prevailing trend in the travel industry today is the collaboration among many travel companies to offer identical products at uniform prices. The companies have cooperated to build special experience products in Bali (Indonesia). The alliance creates advantages for both businesses and tourists while avoiding unhealthy competition in tour prices and ensuring service quality.

Nguyen Huu Lam, Director of Aritour, said, this summer, travel businesses have introduced a range of new products to stay competitive and capitalize on the increasing interest from tourists. Bali summer tours are specially designed to bring diverse and unique experiences. Tourists will have the opportunity to watch dolphins at Lovina Beach, dive to explore the ocean world, visit famous temples such as Tanah Lot and Ulun Danu Bratan, as well as discover the beautiful island of Nusa Penida.

Particularly, allied businesses continuously update new routes, services and experiences every six months and tap the beauty of the island to the fullest. The shift from destinations such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore to Bali also reflects the new trend in outbound tours and positions the Indonesian tourism brand in Vietnamese tourists.

Thus, the travel trends of Vietnamese tourists and the approach of travel companies in market research and product development have changed significantly. The year-end is also an important time for new products to be launched and updated to tourists. Businesses must seize this opportunity to revitalize their operations and update their product portfolios in order to achieve rapid recovery and robust growth.

By Giang Tu, Vietnam Business Forum