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China Southern Airlines is the first airline to reopen commercial flights from China to Khanh Hoa since the Covid-19 pandemic was controlled, which is a promising sign for Khanh Hoa’s tourism industry.
On October 2nd, information from Cam Ranh International Airport revealed that China Southern Airlines (China) has resumed the Guangzhou – Cam Ranh route with a frequency of 3 flights per week on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
The first flight on September 29th carried 130 Chinese tourists to Khanh Hoa.
Chinese tourists arrive at Cam Ranh international airport
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Chinese tourists accounted for a significant portion of international visitors to Khanh Hoa. In 2019, the region welcomed over 2.5 million Chinese tourists. However, since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the influx of tourists from the world’s most populous country to Vietnam in general and Khanh Hoa in particular has been nearly frozen.
After Covid-19 was brought under control, the government allowed the tourism industry to reopen to international tourists. Many Vietnamese airlines like Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways have operated charter flights to bring Chinese tourists to Khanh Hoa. However, recently, the number of these charter flights has decreased.
“It is expected that in the coming months, charter flights bringing Chinese tourists to Khanh Hoa will gradually increase starting in November, and Chinese commercial airlines plan to resume operations in the fourth quarter. In addition, Korean airlines will gradually increase flights to Nha Trang due to the high demand for travel by Korean tourists,” said the leader of Cam Ranh International Terminal Joint Stock Company.
Nguyen Thi Le Thanh, Director of the Khanh Hoa Department of Tourism, stated that China Southern Airlines is the first airline to reopen the commercial route from China to Khanh Hoa since the Covid-19 pandemic was controlled, which is a reason for celebration for the local tourism industry. “The reopening of the Guangzhou – Cam Ranh commercial route will create conditions for travel companies to operate tours bringing Chinese tourists to Khanh Hoa and for the people of Khanh Hoa and neighboring provinces to travel to China,” she added.
Khanh Hoa Province aims to welcome 4.5 million international tourists and 4.3 million domestic tourists by 2025. By 2030, Khanh Hoa’s tourism industry targets 7 million international tourists and 6.8 million domestic tourists.
In the first nine months of 2023, Khanh Hoa Province welcomed 5.7 million overnight visitors, with over 1.45 million international tourists and approximately 4.25 million domestic tourists. The tourism revenue reached over 27.502 trillion VND.
Khanh Hoa wants to diversify the international tourist market
The Director of the Khanh Hoa Department of Tourism mentioned that the province is diversifying its international tourist markets to ensure a stable influx of visitors to the region and to promote sustainable development, eliminating the dominance of a single tourist nationality as before.
“In recent times, the number of Korean tourists coming to Khanh Hoa has been increasing significantly, and this is a market with great potential. In the near future, we will continue to expand promotional and marketing efforts in markets such as South Korea, Australia, India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, etc., to attract a more diverse range of tourists to the region,” said Ms. Thanh.
@Thanhnien.vn
