KHÁNH HÒA — Khánh Hòa has set a target of welcoming around 33 million visitors by 2030, with a focus on expanding international markets, strengthening air connectivity, improving service quality and promoting the use of technology.

The province is seeking a major improvement in the quality and scale of tourism development during the 2026-30 period, focusing on expanding international markets, increasing visitor spending, extending stays and enhancing its competitiveness as a destination.

Under the plan to develop international tourist markets for 2026-30 recently issued by the provincial People’s Committee, Khánh Hòa aims to develop tourism into a spearhead economic sector, improve its quality and and sustainability, and gradually become one of the country’s leading tourism destinations.

The targets for 2030 are ambitious, with around 33 million visitors expected, including international tourists accounting for 40-45 per cent of the total, or approximately 13.2-14.85 million arrivals. Total tourism revenue is targeted at US$9 billion, contributing around 20 per cent to the province’s economy.

Alongside increasing visitor numbers, Khánh Hòa aims to raise the value generated by each trip, with an average stay of four to five days and average visitor spending expected to rise to 1.5-2 times its 2025 level. Visitor satisfaction is also a key target, with the province aiming for a satisfaction rate of more than 80 per cent by 2027 and over 90 per cent by 2030.

To achieve these goals, Khánh Hòa will focus on key international markets rather than simply maintaining traditional source markets. It will also actively seek markets with high spending power and longer stays.

During 2026-27, the province will focus on recovering and consolidating the Chinese, South Korean, Russian, Kazakhstani, Japanese, Malaysian and US markets. These markets are expected to remain important sources of visitors while providing room to diversify the international tourist base.

Air connectivity is also considered essential to achieving the growth targets. Khánh Hòa plans to maintain and expand regular and charter flights while gradually restoring air routes from Russia.

Improved direct access to the destination will help reduce travel times, increase convenience and enable tourism businesses to develop products tailored to different visitor groups.

During 2028-30, the province will step up its market expansion strategy, targeting Western Europe, Australia, India, the Middle East and several ASEAN markets, including Indonesia and the Philippines.

It will study expanding flight networks to cities in South Korea, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, while working towards establishing a regular Sydney or Melbourne–Cam Ranh direct route with two to three flights per week.

By 2030, Khánh Hòa aims to have regular flights to Cam Ranh International Airport from at least three additional countries or territories. The total number of international air seats is expected to increase by at least 20 per cent compared with 2025, while the retention rate of new routes is targeted at more than 80 per cent.

The targets are not only about transport connectivity but also serve as a foundation for developing stable source markets and reducing dependence on a limited number of markets.

Alongside expanding markets and increasing air capacity, the plan calls for coordinated improvements in infrastructure, transport, tourism products and service quality.

Khánh Hòa plans to upgrade its transport system to facilitate visitor access to tourism sites and attractions, while strengthening links with international transit hubs to attract travellers from distant markets such as the US and Europe.

Tourism development will therefore not focus solely on well-known destinations but will require stronger connections among different areas, products and services across the province.

Promotion and marketing activities will also be renewed through greater use of technology. Artificial intelligence, big data, international online travel agencies (OTAs) and social media platforms in individual markets will be used to reach target visitor groups more effectively, improve communication and promote the destination.

Co-operation with international airlines will also be strengthened to combine route development with destination promotion, creating a chain linking communications and customer outreach with tourism product sales.

Human resources and a civilised tourism environment are also considered important to retaining visitors. As the number of international tourists grows, demand will increase for foreign-language skills, service expertise and higher standards in accommodation, food and beverage, transport and other supporting services.

Relevant sectors and localities will therefore co-ordinate efforts in human resource training, environmental protection, healthcare, public security and community-based tourism development, with the aim of building a safe, friendly and professional destination.

Under the plan, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will take the lead in monitoring, urging and inspecting implementation and reporting on progress. It will work with relevant sectors and localities to improve service quality, develop tourism products, promote the destination and attract international visitors. 

The provincial Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Centre will step up domestic and overseas promotional programmes, conduct market surveys, apply technology in marketing and build the Khánh Hòa tourism brand around the province’s distinctive features and cultural identity.

The business community will also play a direct role in turning the orientations into concrete tourism products. The provincial Tourism Association will co-ordinate with businesses and airlines to develop products and promotional packages suited to individual markets, while expanding links with domestic and international travel companies. — VNS