The Golden Bridge in Da Nang (photo: VNA)

Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Yuthasak Supasorn said the number of Thai tourists visiting foreign countries is on the rise as the countries of popular destinations remove their COVID-19 restrictions. The top destinations for Thai tourists this New Year are Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Vietnam, and outbound flights to these places are already increasing this month.

In the 2015-2019 period Vietnamese tourism saw a spike in Thai tourist arrivals, with an average annual growth rate of more than 24%. 510,000 Thai tourists came to Vietnam in 2019, up 46% from 2018, the most impressive growth among Vietnam’s foreign tourist markets.

Indochina Unique Tourist Company, which specializes in organizing tours of Da Nang for Thai tourists, said the Golden Bridge at Sun World Ba Na Hills Resort has made a big splash in Thai media since its opening. Almost every Thai tour to Da Nang takes tourists to the Golden Bridge.

Thai tourists are also interested in Da Lat, dubbed the city of thousands of flowers, Khanh Hoa, the land of agarwood, and Hoi An ancient town. Tasty cuisine, unique culture, scenic spots, fantastic entertainment areas, and reasonable prices are the main things that attract Thai tourists to Vietnam.

Airlines have increased the frequency of flights and opened new routes to connect the two countries’ most popular destinations of Da Nang, Hanoi, Cam Ranh, and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, and Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket in Thailand. They have also offered ticket promotions and new services.

Vietnamese tourism has been promoted in Thailand through multiple fairs and roadshows, and Thai travel businesses and investors have done surveys of Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Da Lat.