Binh Thuan destination captivates South Korean tourists

Seizing this opportunity, Binh Thuan province has proactively built a development plan, considering Korea as a strategic market for marketing in the short coming time.

South Korean visitors have "fallen in love" with the land

Mr. Cha Se Young, General Director of KonDok Company (South Korea) shared that in 2023, he had a chance to come to Vietnam, Binh Thuan is one of the localities he visited and relaxed. “Coming to Binh Thuan, my first impression was “blue sea, white sand, golden sunshine”. This place has many “god-given” scenic spots and quality infrastructure. Especially the pleasant climate, peaceful life not, avoiding the hustle and bustle of big cities. I will come back soon," said Mr. Cha Se Young.

Not only Mr. Cha Se Yuong but at some tourist destinations in Binh Thuan province, recently, it is easy to see Korean tourists. Ms. Park Su Jin said that she has traveled to many places around the world. In early 2024, she chose Binh Thuan as the destination for her trip to Vietnam. “The weather in Binh Thuan is cool, windy, and sunny, I am attracted to the thrilling sport of surfing. That's why I took the time to learn technical guidance from coaches. I played this game well. This is absolutely a wonderful experience in Binh Thuan trip" said Ms. Park Su Jin.

Currently, Binh Thuan and Mui Ne are one of the the new destinations getting a lot of attention from Korean tourists with unique experiences such as: Watching the sunrise on endless white dunes in the early morning; Playing golf in stunningly beautiful golf courses with almost 100% golf holes facing the vast blue ocean; or enjoying coastal specialties in seaside resorts hidden behind tropical coconut trees row... According to statistics from the Binh Thuan tourism industry, in 2023, the province welcomed 240,000 international tourists, particularly, up to a quarter were tourists from South Korea. This is a good sign, compared to previous years, the number of Korean visitors has increased, and got the highest proportion of international visitors to Binh Thuan.

Seizing the opportunity to attract Korean customers

The fact is that, currently, Korean tourists travel mainly through travel agencies and Binh Thuan's tourism image to Korea still has many limits. Tourists depend almost entirely on the set-up schedules of enterprises.

Recently, the province's working delegation led by Mr. Nguyen Minh, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, had a business trip to Korea to exchange cooperation content on promoting culture and tourism in Binh Thuan, the highlights were Binh Thuan province coordinated with the Vietnam National Tourism Administration to organize the Binh Thuan Tourism Promotion Conference in Korea. This is also the first time Binh Thuan has held this conference in South Korea.

At the conference, many top tourism businesses in Binh Thuan introduced typical, unique, attractive tourism products and services and stimulus programs. Hence, Korean tourism businesses and Korean people will have more information about destinations, products, and services to create tourism programs in Binh Thuan. Mr. Ly Xuong Can - Vietnam's Tourism Ambassador in Korea shared that Binh Thuan is considered “a princess awoken from slumber”. According to the positive response of the Vietnamese Government through preferential policies and a variety of tourism resources, he hopes that Binh Thuan province will have tourism development policies following the unique features discovering model, only available in Binh Thuan. "I would like to suggest a tourism product called 'Silver Tour'" for elderly people from 60 to live and experience in Binh Thuan for 1-3 months" the Vietnam Tourism Ambassador shared.

On the other hand, Mr. Hwang Kyu Seon - Chairman of the Korea Tourism Industry Development Association said: This tourism introduction conference is a meaningful event, organizing this successful event depends on the efforts and cooperation of the People's Committee of Binh Thuan Province. In particular, Mui Ne will be a promising tourism development location in the future. “However, to strongly develop Binh Thuan's tourism market in Korea, Binh Thuan needs to actively cooperate with travel companies as well as Korean media to develop tourism products and advertise more to Korean tourists," said Mr. Hwang Kyu Seon.

Noting the above "constitutions", Vice Chairman of Binh Thuan Province Nguyen Minh affirmed: In order for Binh Thuan tourism promotion activities in Korea to be practical and effective, the People's Committee of Binh Thuan Province will accompany localities. Local authorities and tourism businesses in the province commit to developing preferential policies, promotions, and special discounts for Korean tourism businesses bringing tourists to Binh Thuan. In addition, we will focus on building new, attractive tourism programs and products that suit the needs of Koreans. “With a positive and cooperative spirit, in the coming time, we hope to receive more attention and closer cooperation from Korean businesses and travel agencies to contribute to the tourism development of Binh Thuan in particular and Vietnam tourism in general".

Combining the initiative of the province and the "contribution" of units and partners from Korea, it is believed that Korean tourists will not only know about Da Nang and Nha Trang, but Binh Thuan will also become an ideal destination for Korean tourists.