Vietnam Goes Mainstream

Stunning aviation growth and visa-free access boost tourism

Vietnam has seen phenomenal growth in aviation by any standard in the last few years. From a country known for its place on the budget backpacker trail, it has shifted seamlessly into a must-visit destination for the emerging Asian market as an influx of tourists with money in their pockets want to see one of the world’s last few unexplored destinations.

Aviation plays a key role in this with 84% of tourists using air travel to arrive to Vietnam, according to the World Tourism Organization.

International capacity has almost doubled in the last 3 years, growing from just 24 million seats in 2015 to 42 million in 2018, outpacing growth seen by its near neighbour, Thailand. By comparison, it took Thailand eight years to grow international capacity from 30 million seats in 1996, the first year for which comparable OAG data is available, to over 42 million in 2004.

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