The year 2022 marks a strong revival of the tourism industry after being walloped by the two-year pandemic. According to previous assertions from The Outbox Company, the outbound tourism market of Vietnamese tourists has not decreased. It has been pent up and temporarily “frozen” due to external factors such as travel regulations, health risks, pandemic or travel costs, etc.

According to the report “How Vietnamese are reconnecting with outbound travel?” from The Outbox Company, in the first nine months of 2022, 88.5% of Vietnamese outbound travelers took both domestic and outbound trips. This proves that the outbound tourism market does not negatively affect the domestic tourism market. On the other hand, these two markets develop independently and in parallel depending on the needs and affordability of Vietnamese tourists. Although the tourism situation still has certain limitations, the outbound travel demand of Vietnamese tourists is still increasing, especially in leisure travel.

 

Due to the pent-up travel demand in the past two years, the number of Vietnamese tourists traveling abroad began to increase when Vietnam and the world loosened travel restrictions and opened the border in March 2022. According to a survey by Outbox, the main motivation for making overseas trips right after the pandemic is not only for relaxation and vacation. But it is also the desire to reconnect with outbound travel after a long lockdown.

29.25% of Vietnamese tourists surveyed said traveling abroad is a regular activity that helps them reconnect with their passion for travel and arouses their passion to explore the world.

It can be seen that the pent-up demand for overseas trips during the two years of border closure has motivated Vietnamese people to take leisure outbound trips. 

In addition, the opening of the border has also put foreign service tourism back on the right track. However, only over 30% of survey respondents said that they travel abroad to do business or to attend conferences and exhibitions.

In January 2022, the “Vietnamese Travel Sentiment Report” showed that concerns about loved ones’ safety (both the elderly & children) were among the major barriers to travel. Nevertheless, until now, when concerns about safety have been significantly reduced, the desire to reconnect with family and friends of Vietnamese tourists after a long time of separation has also been revived.

The pent-up demand for outbound travel is one of the reasons for the explosion of the new trend of “revenge tourism”. According to the report of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), by 2030, resort tourism will also be the most popular form of tourism.

Besides the demand for overseas trips in general and outbound leisure ones in particular, Vietnamese tourists are willing to pay more to experience and relieve stress. 65% of survey respondents spent more on their trips in 2022 than they did on trips in 2019. While 22% spent the same and only 13% spent less on their first outbound after COVID-19.

The increasing number of foreign tourists and the high affordability are signs of a positive recovery for Vietnam’s outbound market after the pandemic. All research and outstanding information will be found in the Vietnam Outbound Travel report.

The Outbox Company

Vietnamese tourists consider the availability of information about the safety of the destination as one of the major factors influencing their choice of a destination. This is one of the new travel sensitivities due to the impact of the pandemic, mentioned in Outbox Insight’s newly released report “How Vietnamese travelers are reconnecting with outbound travel”.

2022 – The rebirth of Vietnam outbound travel  

With high mass vaccination rates around the world, many countries have re-opened their borders, eased travel restrictions to welcome more international guests since 2022. Positive news in the media has ignited the pent-up demand of Vietnamese people for an outbound trip. 

When the number of confirmed cases are shrinking down and international flights have been restarted, Vietnamese’s confidence about outbound travel has increased. According to “How Vietnamese Travelers Are Re-connecting With Outbound Travel 2022” report, the Vietnamese outbound travelers are less concerned about risks from 10/2021 till 5/2022.

Along with the decreasing concern level, the number of Vietnamese tourists traveling abroad increased significantly. 88.5% of Vietnamese outbound tourists have taken both domestic and international trips in the first nine months of 2022. This is one of the vital signals that Vietnam outbound tourism has recovered quite surprisingly.

Prior to COVID-19, there were many factors influencing Vietnamese’s choice of an overseas destination, but they used to consider the cost of the trip, travel-friendly & cost-effective packages of the destination. However, in this “new normal” world, the report found that availability of safety information has emerged as one of the key factors when they choose an international travel destination.

Information about travel safety has played a key role in post-pandemic world

The pandemic has impacted the tourists and how the tourism industry works. No matter what reasons for leisure outbound trips or business ones in the “new normalcy” are, and despite the decreasing concern level, 44.6% of survey takers stated that the availability of safety information about the destination is one of the key factors influencing their choice of a destination. 

Safety has become a new sensitivity in the tourism & hospitality industry post COVID-19 due to changing and uncertain travel restrictions. When the pandemic broke out, many tourists were stuck in another country for a long time, which affected their life and business. 

Though the borders are now re-opened, travelers seek information regarding the safety of the destination, vaccination requirements and immigration regulations before traveling to another country. That is true to Vietnamese travelers’ behaviors post COVID-19, as they tend to organize a trip with their family members or friends. This Vietnam Outbound Report 2022 shows that only 5% took a solo trip. Therefore, the more available information about the safety of the destination, the easier it is to influence the choice of foreign destinations of Vietnamese people.

Beside the safety information, Vietnamese outbound travelers are also concerned about the cost of the trip (49.6%), and if the destination’s characteristics can match their personal preferences (41.8%).

All information about the level of concern, travel preferences and travel trends about Vietnamese tourists going abroad after COVID-19 can be found at the report Vietnam Outbound Travel 2022.

The Outbox Company

Nowadays, outbound travel is no longer a privilege of a few, like elites or business travelers. More and more people can manage to take one or even many trips abroad every year, but when the COVID-19 epidemic spread all over the globe. Nevertheless, the travel interruption in the last two years cannot suppress the robust demand for post-pandemic outbound tourism in Vietnam.

According to Vietnam Outbound Travel 2022, the latest report of Vietnam-based market intelligence company The Outbox Company, the growth of the country’s new middle class can boost Vietnam outbound tourism in the coming times.

The impact of new middle class

The report states that the total number of Vietnamese outbound travelers is forecasted to grow much faster, mainly due to the growth of the country’s new middle class. The middle and affluent class (MAC) are those whose monthly income is at least VND 15 million (around USD 750), a threshold at which consumption is observed to take off.

The MAC population in Vietnam is estimated to triple between 2012 and 2030, with an annual growth rate of 12.9%. It’s higher than other countries in the Southeast Asia region including Myanmar, Indonesia and Thailand.

According to a report on Vietnamese consumers from McKinsey & Company, the number of Vietnamese consumers entering the middle class with new consumption power is growing and well positioned in Asia’s consumption map over the next decade. The two highest tiers of the consuming class (middle and affluent class spending USD 30 or more per day) are growing the fastest and may account for 20 percent of Vietnam’s population by 2030.

It can be seen that they will tend to spend more not only for their basic demands but leisure activities like traveling as well. As the quality of life is higher, along with a bigger desire to explore the world, and the quick development of social media and technology, Vietnamese travelers can be urged to go abroad more.

A promising market due to well educated travelers with high incomes

It’s great news that the demand of outbound tourism in Vietnam is increasing after the pandemic. And it’s much better that Vietnamese outbound travelers have a good standard of education, as reported by The Outbox Company. Knowledge and education allow them to better understand and appreciate destinations adding to the experiential component of Vietnamese outbound travel. As a result, they can be aware of supporting the locality as well as contributing to sustainability and environmental protection while traveling to any destination.

In addition to getting a good education, nearly 60 percent of the population under 35 years old in Vietnam earn more than previous generations. The fact that they will spend more and respect the places they visit makes up a promising market for many destinations.

More data and insight about the middle class impact in particular and the Vietnam outbound travel market in general can be found in the Vietnam Outbound Travel 2022 report of The Outbox Company.