In Q2, the majority of Vietnamese tourists continued to choose independent travel, which increased by 4.2% compared to the first quarter. This shows that although the COVID epidemic has long ended, tourists still prefer independent travel. Additionally, the development of information technology and tourism communication platforms also contributes to this trend. This proves the potential of this tourist segment.
Solo travelers accounted for nearly 30%, which is higher than the average rate of Vietnamese tourists in Q1. This shows that the trend of solo travel is higher in the independent travel group than in the tour travel group. This rate also increased by more than 10% compared to the first quarter and was higher than the increased rate of Vietnamese tourists in general. (The percentage of solo travelers decreased compared to the first quarter.)
The top 3 OTAs that independent tourists use most frequently are Traveloka, Booking.com, and Agoda, respectively. The percentage of visitors choosing not to change much in both quarters. However, when considering each OTA separately, Traveloka’s selection rate has decreased slightly (less than 3%), which has balanced out the increase of the remaining two OTAs in the top 3.
In the second quarter, the most popular length of stay for independent tourists was 2-3 nights, with nearly 60% of them having such a trip. This was followed by trips with a stay length of 4-5 nights. The rate is quite similar to that of Vietnamese tourists. In Q2, independent travelers’ trips were also shorter in length than in Q1, with trips of 3 nights or less increasing by nearly 5%, which is lower than the average level of Vietnamese tourists.
Source: Vietnam Travel Market Tracker – Q1 & Q2 2023
