More Vietnamese vacationers plan trips online: Google
More Vietnamese vacationers plan trips online: Google
Vietnamese holidaymakers are increasingly going online to book travel, making use of Internet search engine Google to find everything they need for their trips, a representative of the tech giant has said.
The number of Google users in Vietnam continues to increase on an annual basis, and travel is among the most searched keywords, Helena Lersch, country lead for public policy and government relations in Southeast Asia, said at a tourism conference in Hanoi on April 14.
Vietnamese holidaymakers mostly look to Google to plan their trips between April and July, and they search for everything, from travel destinations, tourism products, to hotels and flights, Lersch said.
As many as 94 percent of flights are purchased online in Vietnam, according to the Google rep.
Their statistics also show that Thailand, the U.S. and Qatar are the most searched destinations for Vietnamese travelers.
Lersch, who is in charge of the Philippines, Vietnam and emerging Southeast Asian markets, revealed the latest Vietnamese search trends at an international conference held to boost e-commerce and e-marketing in the tourism sector.
The event was organized by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) as part of the 2016 Vietnam International Travel Mart, which ran from April 14 to 17 in Hanoi.
At the conference, the Google official underlined how crucial it is for travel firms to showcase their products online. She added that Google is capable of supporting holidaymakers both before their departure and after they reach their destinations.
Most experts at the event agreed that e-commerce and e-marketing are on the rise in Vietnam’s tourism industry. Online information regarding destinations and hotel prices has become one of the key factors when vacationers plan their trips, they said.
Many businesses have also gone online, allowing holidaymakers to book hotels, tour packages and air tickets entirely via the Internet.
The World Bank’s 2013 statistics showed that 43.9 percent of the Vietnamese population of 90 million have access to the Internet.
“Boosting e-commerce and e-marketing in the tourism sector is essential in improving the competitiveness of Vietnam’s tourism industry,” VNAT deputy head Ha Van Sieu said at the conference.
“The VNAT will create conditions to help domestic and international companies to adopt online solutions throughout their operations.”
