Wellness tourism promoted in Vietnam
Vietnam has strong potential to develop wellness tourism according to attendees at the CEOTalks conference held recently in HCM City.
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| Tourists in Hoi An |
Wellness tourism is travel for promoting health and well-being through physical, psychological, or spiritual activities. It is often associated with medical tourism.
Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, deputy director of HCM City Department of Tourism said wellness tourism in the world had attracted many long-term investments. Resorts and hotels also use the surrounding environment wisely and have plans to promote health.
In 2013, only 63 countries had wellness tourism, however, this number increased to over 100 countries last year. Both Hanoi and Hoi An were highly regarded for having suitable conditions to open wellness tourism according to Wego and TrustYou websites. They are listed among the top 10 tourist destinations for wellness tourism services in Asia.
"Hanoi received 87.37% of the positive feedback thanks to the streets with large trees, old houses and peaceful atmosphere in the early morning and sunset," Hoa said.
Wellness tourists often spend much higher during their trips than average tourists. Reports from the Global Wellness Institute show that in 2017, the world wellness tourism market earned USD639bn and this number could increase to USD919bn in 2022, accounting for 18% of the world tourism market.
In 2018, Vietnam received 15.5 million international tourists and 80 million domestic tourists. Total revenue reached VND620trn. According to Nguyen Thanh Binh, deputy head of Hotel Department under the Administration of Tourism, Vietnam needs more diverse service and developing wellness tourism is the right step.
"In the last two years, hotels have opened more spa, gym and yoga rooms for visitors. Different types of massages have been promoted," Binh said.
Domestic demand for wellness services also increased, showing huge potential for wellness tourism in Vietnam.
Mauro Gasparotti, director of Savills Hotel in South East Asia, said Vietnam needed to improve services to meet the goal to receive 30 million international tourists. Wellness tourism could be a contributory factor. However, firms must research the market and consumer behaviour carefully in order to roll out the best services.
Chau Thi Hoang Mai, director of Alba Spa Hotel, raised concerns about lack of criteria. Vietnam has criteria to rate three to five-star hotels but it still doesn't have any system for healthcare tourism.
