ChattanKunjara Na Ayudhya, deputy chief for marketing for Asia and the South Pacific at the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said Vietnam is a crucial market for Thailand’s inbound tourism.
Vietnam ranked 8th among Thailand’s top 10 tourism markets, with nearly 720,000 arrivals in the first eight months of this year.
Tourists from Myanmar led the region in spending in Thailand, with an average expenditure of 40,000 baht per trip, he said.
Pham Anh Vu, deputy general director of Viet Travel Company, said the most affordable four-day package tours to Thailand are currently priced at around VND7 million ($284), but most tourists are willing to spend double or triple that amount on shopping and dining.
He said the reason Vietnamese tourists are inclined to spend more in Thailand is the diversity of tourism products available in the country.
ChattanKunjara said Vietnamese tourists’ spending habits have changed since the Covid pandemic.
Before 2019 they primarily visited Thailand to shop and eat at traditional markets and street stalls, but now they are inclined to visit cultural and historical sites and try high-end dining, entertainment and beach tourism.
Compared to the same period last year the number of Vietnamese tourists spending on cultural and historical sites and beach activities increased by 4%, and on entertainment and high-end dining, by more than 20%, he said.
Supakan Yodchun, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand in HCMC, said to cater to the rising demand for high-end culinary experiences from Vietnamese tourists, Thailand plans to promote food courts in shopping malls, new food streets and Michelin-starred food tours.
“These are new experiences that promise to attract Vietnamese tourists compared to traditional street food stalls,” she added.
Nguyen Phuong Ha of Hanoi said she has visited Thailand many times, primarily to explore food in traditional areas.
But during her latest visit in mid-September she tried traditional Thai dishes from Michelin-starred restaurants and took in Bangkok street views by going on bus tour.
“I booked this tour because I wanted to try Michelin Thai cuisine and see how the food would be served on a bus,” she said.
Thao Nhi of Binh Dinh Province in central Vietnam said she spent VND22 million on a five-day tour to Bangkok and Hua Hin City in March, with nearly half of it going toward shopping and dining.
Thailand hopes to receive one million Vietnamese tourists this year.
In 2025 it plans to increase the number of seats on flights from Vietnam, begin new services and increase schedules for both regular and charter flights.
“We will step up promotions to raise awareness of Thailand’s lesser-known cities and introduce products that align with the interests of Vietnamese tourists,” ChattanKunjara said.
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