Thailand’s Struggle To Secure Vietnamese Tourists Intensifies As Vietnamese Airlines Shift Focus To Domestic Travel Over International Routes

Published on August 11, 2025 |

Thailand is facing expanding challenges successful attracting Vietnamese visitors arsenic Vietnamese airlines displacement their attraction to home recreation complete world routes. This strategical pivot by awesome Vietnamese airlines, prioritizing section routes to meet rising home demand, has caused a important dip successful outbound recreation to destinations for illustration Thailand. The displacement has placed unit connected Thailand’s tourism sector, which traditionally sees a precocious measurement of visitors from Vietnam. The alteration reflects broader trends successful nan hose manufacture and evolving recreation habits, making it important for Thailand to research caller strategies to support its entreaty to Vietnamese travelers.

Thailand Faces Challenges successful Attracting Vietnamese Tourists Amid Domestic Travel Boom

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has reported that while Vietnam’s tourism assemblage continues to thrive, Thailand is facing important challenges successful attracting Vietnamese visitors. A superior logic for this struggle is nan attraction of Vietnamese airlines connected home routes, which limits options for world travel. This displacement successful aerial recreation dynamics has made it much difficult for Thai tourism to seizure nan attraction of Vietnam’s increasing tourism market.

The Growing Popularity of Domestic Travel successful Vietnam

A important contributing facet to this inclination is nan expanding penchant among Vietnamese visitors for home travel. In 2024, Vietnam saw an astounding 110 cardinal home tourists, a number that reflects nan nation’s increasing liking successful exploring its ain divers and rich | taste heritage. The home tourism assemblage continues to expand, and projections bespeak that nan number of Vietnamese citizens walking wrong their ain state will emergence to betwixt 120 and 130 cardinal successful nan coming year.

This maturation successful section travel, coupled pinch a surge successful recreation infrastructure improvements, has meant that less Vietnamese visitors are choosing world destinations, specified arsenic Thailand. As much destinations wrong Vietnam connection unsocial taste experiences, stunning landscapes, and budget-friendly recreation options, Vietnamese travelers are uncovering little logic to recreation abroad.

Vietnam’s Flourishing Tourism Industry

Despite these home recreation trends, Vietnam’s wide tourism assemblage remains robust. The country’s tourism gross is expected to scope astir VND840 trillion successful 2024, reflecting a important 23.8% year-on-year increase. This maturation is driven by a beardown influx of world visitors, pinch projections estimating that Vietnam will spot astir 17.5 cardinal overseas visitors successful 2024. As Vietnam’s tourism manufacture expands, nan federation is mounting eager goals to further boost its tourism revenue, aiming for an summation of 16.7% to 25% successful 2025.

To execute this, nan state has group a target of attracting 22 to 23 cardinal world visitors. These efforts are being supported by a increasing scope of recreation and tourism packages that cater to different segments of nan world tourer market. However, contempt this thriving tourism economy, nan title for world visitors is intensifying, and Thailand is uncovering itself struggling to unafraid its stock of nan Vietnamese outbound recreation market.

Increasing Competition from China

As Thailand grapples pinch nan challenges of attracting Vietnamese tourists, different cardinal competitor is emerging: China. Post-pandemic, China has seen a important surge successful tourism, not conscionable to its awesome cities but to a wide scope of destinations crossed nan country. In 2024, China is offering 460 play flights connecting world travelers to galore Chinese cities, including lesser-known regions that are attracting a increasing number of world tourists.

This extended formation network, coupled pinch China’s affordable recreation packages, has made it an progressively appealing destination for Vietnamese tourists. The country’s wide-ranging recreation options, from humanities landmarks to bustling modern cities, are being promoted arsenic budget-friendly alternatives to destinations for illustration Thailand. As much Vietnamese visitors research China, they are becoming little inclined to take Thailand for their vacations, further contributing to nan driblet successful Vietnamese visitors to nan Kingdom.

The Role of Vietnamese Airlines

One of nan cardinal factors influencing this displacement successful recreation preferences is nan attraction of Vietnamese airlines connected home routes. While Thai airlines proceed to support nonstop flights betwixt Thailand and Vietnam, Vietnamese airlines person been progressively prioritizing home destinations to cater to nan soaring request for section travel. This home way description , though beneficial for Vietnam’s soul tourism, has constricted nan number of world flights disposable to Thai destinations. As a result, it has go much challenging for Vietnamese visitors to see world trips, specified arsenic to Thailand, arsenic their first option.

The effect of this displacement is evident successful nan declining numbers of Vietnamese visitors to Thailand, which had antecedently been a favored destination for many. Thailand’s tourism industry, which erstwhile benefitted greatly from Vietnamese visitors, must now contend pinch this changing scenery successful which section recreation is much accessible and appealing.

Looking Ahead: Opportunities and Challenges

Despite these challenges, Thailand’s tourism assemblage remains resilient, and location are still opportunities to entreaty to Vietnamese travelers. To regain their interest, Thai tourism authorities whitethorn request to research caller strategies that amended cater to nan needs and preferences of nan Vietnamese market. This could see collaborating pinch Vietnamese airlines to summation formation options to Thailand aliases processing targeted trading campaigns that stress Thailand’s unsocial attractions and experiences, particularly those that align pinch nan evolving preferences of Vietnamese tourists.

Furthermore, Thailand whitethorn request to reside nan expanding title from China by offering much competitory recreation packages and highlighting its ain unsocial offerings. By capitalizing connected its rich | taste heritage, stunning earthy landscapes, and vibrant hospitality industry, Thailand tin activity towards regaining its position arsenic a apical destination for Vietnamese travelers.

Thailand is struggling to unafraid Vietnamese visitors arsenic Vietnamese airlines prioritize home routes complete world travel. This displacement has led to a diminution successful outbound tourism to Thailand, challenging nan country’s efforts to support beardown tourer postulation from Vietnam. With this alteration successful focus, Thailand must accommodate to caller strategies to pull visitors.

In conclusion, while Vietnam’s booming home tourism assemblage and nan title from China coming challenges for Thailand, opportunities still beryllium to recapture nan attraction of Vietnamese tourists. Through strategical adjustments and targeted initiatives, Thailand tin flooded these hurdles and proceed to beryllium a cardinal subordinate successful nan world tourism market.