New opportunities to welcome Chinese visitors

The Government has recently issued a resolution on visa exemption for Chinese tour groups visiting Khanh Hoa via Cam Ranh International Airport. This is an opportunity for the provincial tourism sector to revive the billion-people visitor market, which once led in international tourist arrivals.

Promptly seizing the opportunity is needed

China has long been a key international visitor market for Khanh Hoa tourism. In 2019, the province welcomed 2.5 million Chinese visitors, accounting for 70% of total international visitors, making an important contribution to driving growth in aviation, accommodation, and tourism services. However, the Covid-19 pandemic caused a sharp drop in this visitor volume, and recovery has remained difficult to date. Recently, while the number of Chinese visitors to Vietnam has continuously increased, the volume visiting Khanh Hoa has declined. Many airlines have cut flights from major Chinese cities to Khanh Hoa. 

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, after rising sharply in 2024 to nearly 797,000 arrivals, the number of Chinese tourists to Khanh Hoa in 2025 reached around 677,000 arrivals, a decrease of over 15%. It is estimated that in the first 9 months of 2026, the province welcomed about 470,000 arrivals, down nearly 6.5% compared to the same period last year. Currently, the Chinese visitor market ranks behind South Korea and Russia.

In that context, the Government's newly issued Resolution No. 325 has opened up an opportunity for the province to recover the Chinese tourist market. Ms. Thai Thi Le Hang - Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: “China is a key tourist market for Khanh Hoa tourism. The Government granting visa exemption to Chinese tour groups visiting and traveling within the province is an opportunity to attract visitors for tourism and vacation. Not having to apply for a visa will help visitors shorten preparation time and reduce costs, thus leading to a surge in visitor numbers. As visitor numbers increase, airlines will open more direct flights to Khanh Hoa, opening up opportunities for other tourist segments and thereby boosting the entire Chinese visitor market. The provincial tourism sector will coordinate with units and enterprises to seize this opportunity, step up the development of the Chinese tourist market, and contribute to diversifying international visitor markets.”

Sharing this view, Mr. Nguyen Quang Thang - Standing Vice Chairman of the Khanh Hoa Tourism Association, considered that the new policy came at the right time and to the right place. Khanh Hoa is the only locality selected for the pilot program, while the winter holiday season and Lunar New Year 2027—peak periods for outbound travel among Chinese tourists—are just a few months away. However, a pilot period of over 14 months is not long. The results achieved during this period will serve as the basis for maintaining and expanding the policy, so the province needs to create breakthroughs early, starting right from the very first tour groups.

The new visa policy for tour groups visiting Khanh Hoa quickly created an atmosphere of excitement among businesses specializing in exploiting the Chinese market. "Partners in China are very interested, constantly calling to exchange information and get a clearer grasp of the new policy. Our products, personnel, and transportation are all ready. I believe the number of Chinese tourists will increase," said Ms. Do Thi Van Anh - Deputy Director of Khang Thai Vietnam Travel Co., Ltd.

A "boost" from the new policy

Recently, Khanh Hoa's tourism sector has proactively engaged directly with Chinese partners. In mid-July 2026, a famtrip delegation comprising representatives of airlines—China West Air, Spring Airlines, 9 Air—and Chinese travel businesses surveyed tourist destinations and accommodation facilities in Khanh Hoa. The delegation highly appreciated the appeal of the Land of Agarwood with its many beautiful beaches, unique culture, rich cuisine, delicious fruits, and warm winter, which are well-suited to the tastes of Chinese tourists. However, according to partners, to attract visitors back, Khanh Hoa needs a more favorable visa policy, expansion of flight route networks, and enhanced promotion on popular social media platforms in China. At the same time, it needs to turn existing strengths into more attractive experiential products, especially in culture, cuisine, shopping, entertainment, healthcare, and nightlife.

Visa requirements have now been met by the Government's Resolution No. 325; issues concerning products, promotion, and flight routes need early solutions. Regarding this matter, Ms. Thai Thi Le Hang said: “In the near future, the department will advise the Provincial People's Committee to organize a meeting with departments, agencies, sectors, travel businesses, airlines, etc., to best prepare for welcoming back the wave of Chinese tourists. Khanh Hoa's tourism industry will innovate tour routes, products, communications, and promotional work. Currently, the sector is developing plans and ideas to further develop nighttime service products such as walking streets, culinary villages, art performance venues, etc.” 

Regarding tourism promotion alone, Mr. Truong Van Tien - Director of the Provincial Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion Center, said that following the recent fam trip delegation, the center continues to connect with major Chinese airlines and travel agencies that previously visited to survey Khanh Hoa, collaborating with the provincial Tourism Association and international travel businesses to step up the promotion of Khanh Hoa tourism and the visa exemption policy under the Government's Resolution No. 325. The center will advise the province on organizing tourism promotion delegations to China in the near future. 

From an aviation perspective, Mr. Pham Thanh Son - General Director of Cam Ranh International Terminal Joint Stock Company, said that in the first 6 months of the year, passengers from 94 cities across China purchased tickets to Cam Ranh, but 36% had to take connecting flights, taking an extra 4-6 hours. This is an existing passenger base for airlines to open direct routes. The company expects that, with the visa exemption resolution for group tourists flying directly to Khanh Hoa, the number of direct flights will increase significantly. The initial phase will consist of charter flights serving the 2027 Lunar New Year peak, subsequently advancing to regular scheduled flights. In addition, the company will soon roll out route incentive programs, prioritizing direct routes from Beijing and Shanghai. At the same time, it will coordinate with relevant agencies to prepare a dedicated clearance lane for visa-exempt tour groups at Terminal T2, reinforce Chinese-speaking staff, and monitor tourist volumes monthly so that the province can evaluate the pilot results. 

According to experts, the visa exemption policy for Chinese tour groups to Khanh Hoa, effective through the end of 2027, is a major "boost," but close coordination among management agencies, enterprises, and airlines is required for the pilot policy to work effectively. To sustainably recover the Chinese visitor market, Khanh Hoa needs not only to effectively capitalize on group tourists, but also to prepare conditions to attract groups not covered by the visa exemption, such as independent travelers, groups on inter-provincial tours, or those entering via other border gates.

XUAN THANH