Vietnamese expect to travel more, spend more, and increasingly travel outside of Asia over the next two years, according to the latest “Global Travel Intentions” (GTI) survey conducted by Visa, which provides a worldwide, comprehensive look at travel and tourism in 2018. The Visa findings highlight various parts of the travelers’ journey, surveying respondents from Vietnam and around the world.

Latest Visa survey finds that 74% of Vietnamese tourists take trips of four nights or less.

Some of the top themes from the study found that travelers the world over are taking shorter and more frequent trips, motivated by the need to bond with family and loved ones, while concerns over the loss or theft of cash at the destination remain. 

Vietnamese travelers take the most short trips in the world, with 74 per cent of trips being for four nights or less.

As the desire to travel continues to grow, the GTI study, a comprehensive study of travelers from 27 countries, found that motivations to travel have blurred, with consumers citing a combination of “achievement” and “reward” as a key motivator.

Among the Top 5 motivations, reward-based motivations include bonding with family and friends and to unplug, while achievement-based motivations include experiencing new cultures and visiting exotic destinations.

Six in ten travelers globally (63 per cent) describe themselves as wanting a combination of both throughout their travels, while seven in ten Vietnamese travelers (72 per cent) feel likewise.

The study also showed a range of positive trends among Vietnamese travelers. 

The average time spent abroad during their last trip was four nights, much lower than the APAC average of seven nights. 

They choose destinations that are, on average, four and a half hours of travel time away.

On average, Vietnamese travelers expect to take nearly five trips abroad in the next two years, up from 3.5 trips in the last two years. 

On their next trip, Vietnamese travelers expect to spend a median amount of $1,100 per trip, up from $880 on their last trip.

Seventy-four per cent of travelers use credit or debit cards when booking their trips, and while many do use cards at their destination, the majority prefer to carry foreign currency.

“As Vietnam’s economy grows and an increasing number of citizens join the ranks of the global middle and upper classes, more people are going to take an interest in traveling the world,” said Mr. Sean Preston, Visa Country Manager for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

“This is reflected in the results of our survey, with people taking more trips and spending more, while technology is giving travelers the ability to take trip planning and booking into their own hands. We’ve also seen really positive developments in card usage, with Vietnamese travelers relying heavily on their credit and debit cards for booking hotels, flights, and activities before embarking on their trips.”

VN Economic Times