Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa attracting Korean tourists

In the first 6 months of 2024, Khanh Hoa welcomed nearly 1 million Korean visitors. The number of Korean visitors to Khanh Hoa will increase in the future as information about Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa is increasingly popular on social networks in Korea, and airlines continuously increase flights from major cities of Korea to Cam Ranh.

Korean tourists taking souvenir photos with traditional Vietnamese conical hats when traveling in Nha Trang.

Leading the number of international tourists in Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa

A friend of mine who visited Nha Trang last week was very surprised to see many Korean tourists on the streets. Currently, Korea is the largest tourist market for Vietnamese tourism in general and Khanh Hoa in particular. According to statistics from the Vietnam National Tourism Administration (the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), in the first 6 months of the year, the country welcomed nearly 2.3 million Korean visitors, an increase of 42.6% over the same period last year of 2023. In June alone, there were more than 329,600 Korean visitors to Vietnam. Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa is one of the places that attracts Korean tourists. According to estimates by the provincial Department of Tourism, in the first 6 months of 2024, the province welcomed nearly 1 million Korean visitors, accounting for about 41.6% of the province's international visitors.

Korean guests at Ana Mandara Cam Ranh resort

The strong increase in Korean tourists has led airlines to expand their flight network from Korea to Khanh Hoa. At the end of June, Aero K Airlines participated in operating the Incheon - Cam Ranh route with a frequency of 4 flights/week. Currently, every day there are about 22 flights from Korea to Cam Ranh, most of which is on Incheon - Cam Ranh route with a frequency of 13 flights/day. The number of Korean arrivals to Khanh Hoa through Cam Ranh International Airport ranges from 23,000 to 25,000 passengers/week. According to travel agencies specializing in exploiting the Korean tourist market, 80% of Korean tourists coming to Khanh Hoa are individual tourists or family groups. With high spending, Korean tourists often choose to stay at 4-5 star hotels in Bai Dai area (Cam Lam district) and the center of Nha Trang City. Truong Minh Toan - General Manager of Potique Nha Trang Hotel said that Korean guests account for 50% of the hotel's bookings this summer. Similarly, representative Ana Mandara Cam Ranh said that Korean tourists account for 60% of the guests staying here.

Nha Trang's attractions to Korean visitors

According to Lee Chang Kun - Vietnam Tourism Ambassador to Korea, the visa exemption policy for Korean tourists and the convenience of flight routes facilitate Vietnam's tourist centers such as Hanoi, Da Nang and Nha Trang to attract customers from Korea. On Korean social networking sites, there is quite a lot of information about Nha Trang tourism. Images of Korean singers and actors exploring Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa also create more attraction of this land for Korean tourists. Representatives of many Korean travel agencies and newspapers always introduce Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa as having beautiful beaches, high quality accommodation facilities, and cheap travel prices compared to the average income of Korean people.

Korean tourists like Khanh Hoa's sea tourism.

Recently, Kyowon Tour Travel Easy Group (Korea) announced the results of analyzing travel trends of Koreans in the third quarter of 2024. As a result, Vietnam ranks first among Koreans' favorite foreign travel destinations, surpassing even Japan. The familiar destinations of Korean tourists are Nha Trang, Da Nang, Phu Quoc... Explaining the increasing preference of Korean tourists for traveling to Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa, the Korea Herald said that Nha Trang is becoming a long-term destination for Korean youth thanks to attractive cultural destinations during the day and many vibrant nightlife entertainment activities.

Nguyen Thi Le Thanh - Director of the provincial Department of Tourism said that according to information from travel agencies, in addition to relaxing and visiting Ponagar Tower and Long Son Pagoda, Korean tourists love to explore Vinpearl Harbour because it has many entertainment services. Along with the weekly fireworks display, the appearance of high-class shows such as: "Legend of the Blue Sea", "Exciting Journey"... has increased the attraction of Vinpearl Harbour to tourists. The province's tourism industry keeps diversifying products, increasing human resource, and improving service quality, promoting marketing to attract Korean tourists.

Xuan Thanh

Translated by T.T