The Challenge: Understanding the Value Behind Visitor Arrivals
Most destination management organizations (DMOs) measure success the same way: total arrival numbers. More visitors, more headlines, more perceived success. But arrival counts hide a critical question that determines whether tourism actually benefits a local economy: who is spending money, and how much?
By that first measure, Quang Nam’s tourism sector looked like a clear success story. The province recorded 8 million visits in 2024, not only a full recovery from the pandemic but a new high above the previous 2019 peak of 7.69 million, with visitor numbers growing at a compound annual rate of 29% between 2021 and 2024.
A closer look, however, revealed a different story. In 2024, only 24.8% of domestic visitors and 36.4% of international visitors to Quang Nam stayed overnight in the destination. The majority visited only for the day, limiting spending on accommodation, dining, local experiences, and retail, the activities that generate value for local tourism businesses.
This was further reinforced by the province’s limited accessibility. Lacking a major commercial airport, Quang Nam remained heavily dependent on neighbouring gateways such as Da Nang, giving the destination less control over how visitors planned their itineraries and how long they stayed.
As a result, arrival numbers alone were no longer enough to guide market development decisions. Attracting more visitors would do little to increase tourism value if most continued to leave after a single day. What the Department of Tourism needed was a clearer understanding of which source markets offered the greatest potential to increase visitor spending, providing a stronger foundation for future destination strategies.
The Solution: Profiling Visitors to Find Where Potential Value Sits
In June 2025, Quang Nam Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism partnered with The Outbox Company on visitor profile study to gain a deeper understanding of the province’s key source markets and their economic potential.
The research was built on a survey of roughly 600 domestic and 1,068 international overnight visitors, capturing insights into who visits Quang Nam, how they travel, how long they stay, and how they spend throughout their journey.
A key part of the analysis was estimating each market’s potential in-destination spending. This focused on the share of visitors’ travel budgets expected to be spent within Quang Nam, while separating expenses that do not directly contribute to the local tourism economy, such as airfare. Combined with average length of stay, these insights offered a clearer picture of the economic potential of each visitor market and where the province could generate the greatest return from its destination marketing efforts.
The Outcome
The study enabled the Quang Nam Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to evaluate its international markets through a different lens, one that considers not only who visits, but also where the greatest potential to increase visitor spending lies. This provided the province with a stronger basis for prioritising source markets, refining destination marketing strategies, and identifying opportunities to create greater visitor value.
Oceania represents a relatively small share of Quang Nam’s international overnight visitors, accounting for 8.56% of arrivals in 2024. Despite its modest size, travellers from the region reported the highest potential in-destination spending at 25.9 million VND per visitor, outperforming every other market included in the study. The region also recorded the longest average stay at 3.4 nights, creating more opportunities for visitors to spend within the destination. Together, these findings position Oceania as one of Quang Nam’s most promising markets for driving higher visitor value.
Northeast Asia, on the other hand, remained one of the the largest international source markets of Quang Nam, led by South Korea and Taiwan. However, travellers from the region reported lower potential in-destination spending of 16.5 million VND per visitor, despite its significant visitor volume. This highlights an important distinction between attracting visitors and capturing value from them. For Quang Nam, the opportunity lies not in growing arrivals alone, but in increasing the value generated by visitors who are already choosing the destination.
Together, these insights gave Quang Nam a more strategic way to evaluate its international markets. With a clearer understanding of each market’s role, the province could prioritise high-potential segments while developing targeted initiatives to encourage greater visitor spending.
Is your destination still measuring success by arrivals alone?
The Outbox Company works with destination management organizations (DMOs) and tourism authorities to uncover the visitor insights that arrival numbers alone can’t reveal. Through visitor profile research, spending analysis, and market segmentation, we help destinations identify high-potential source markets, uncover opportunities to increase visitor spending, and make more informed destination marketing decisions. Contact us to discover how our research can support your destination strategy.
