Chongqing direct flight saves 20 hours, hopes to attract two-way tourists

Hongya Cave is one of the famous destinations in Chongqing, with an 11-story stilt house on the rock wall by the Jialing River - Photo: Xuan Phuc

In the first 6 months of 2024, Vietnamese travel businesses recorded an explosion in the number of Vietnamese tourists wishing to visit and explore Chinese destinations by road, rail and air.

Along with that, the Chinese tourist market to Vietnam is also increasing significantly. Vietnam welcomed more than 1.89 million Chinese visitors in the first 5 months of 2024, with the number of visitors from this market reaching over 357,000 in May 2024 alone, an increase of 243.4% over the same period last year.

Save time, add experience

In June 2024, many flights between Vietnam and Chinese cities were restarted, including charter flights from Cat Bi airport (Hai Phong) to Lijiang, Hanoi - Chengdu, Hanoi - Haikou and most recently the new route between Hanoi - Chongqing (China).

This route is an opportunity for Vietnamese tourists to explore destinations in southwest China, while also promoting the market of tourists from this region to Vietnam, thanks to shortened travel time.

According to Ms. Tran Thi Phuong Thao - representative in Vietnam, Trung The Hunan International Travel Company Limited, when there were no flights, tourists often traveled by road from Hanoi to Huu Nghi border gate (Lang Son province) to complete exit procedures. Then, tourists went to Bang Tuong (China), took a car for a distance of about 200km to Nanning city to transfer to Chongqing city.

“If you count the round trip, tourists spend almost 2 days just traveling, not much time to experience. But now, when traveling by direct flight, tourists only spend about 7 hours (including time for exit and entry).

This way, tourists have about 20 more hours to enjoy their experiences at the destination," said Ms. Thao.

Chinese tourists visit the Temple of Literature during their tour of Vietnam – Photo: NAM TRAN

Expectations for Chinese tourists

Many tourism businesses believe that the opening and restarting of flight routes will be an opportunity for tourists from both countries to travel conveniently and have more time to experience the destinations.

Mr. Ho Xuan Phuc - General Director of Hanotours - shared that before the COVID-19 pandemic, China was the largest market sending tourists to Vietnam and currently this market is still an important source of customers for Vietnamese tourism.

“The restoration of flights from Vietnam to Chinese provinces and cities will help the number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam increase rapidly in 2024 and into 2025.

Because for the Chinese, Vietnam is still a potential destination, close, with similarities in culture and cuisine. It can be said that Vietnam is still a favorite destination for Chinese tourists," Mr. Phuc commented.

According to Mr. Duong Hai Quan, representative of West Air (China), Vietnam attracts a large number of foreign tourists, including Chinese tourists, because Vietnam is a country with many attractive landscapes, tourist attractions and rich cultural traditions.

“I see more and more Chinese businesses coming to invest in Vietnam. Many of our customers come to Vietnam to seek cooperation opportunities, travel, learn about the market…

In Hanoi, Chinese tourists love destinations with rich cultural and historical colors such as President Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, ancient French architectural works or the railway in the heart of the city. I believe that the Hanoi - Chongqing flight route will help tourists of the two countries to travel and cooperate more conveniently," said Mr. Hai Quan.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/duong-bay-thang-trung-khanh-tiet-kiem-20-tieng-dong-ho-hi-vong-hut-khach-du-lich-hai-chieu-20240706155732835.htm