Seven key trends for travel in Vietnam in 2022

The year 2022 is coming, although COVID-19 pandemic has not completely passed, hope is gradually rising. In a recent survey by Booking.com, Vietnamese tourists shared their new perspectives on travel in the upcoming new year.

Vitamin Vacay

More so than daily exercise or mindful meditation, getting away on vacation will be the form of self-care in 2022. More than 86% of Vietnamese tourists affirmed that travel helps their mental and emotional wellbeing more than other forms of rest and relaxation.

After more than a year of applying and changing travel restrictions, the important benefits that travel has brought to health has been increasingly acknowledged. Specifically, nearly 60% of Vietnamese travellers said that they did not realise the importance of travel to their wellbeing until it was no longer an option, while 87% saying that planning a vacation has a positive impact on their emotions.

Resetting the Out Of (Home) Office

During the outbreak of the pandemic, homes around the world become the offices. However, the year 2022 will witness a significant rise in people wanting to take back control in a bid to firmly re-establish a healthy work-life balance. 79% of Vietnamese tourists will be strictly work-free, which was not always the case in 2021 as home and remote work lives blurred.

Despite the flexibility to work remotely, 61% of surveyed Vietnamese travellers would still accept to spend less time on vacation in 2022 if it meant they could completely switch off, instead of spending more time in the destinations but having to mix business and leisure.

With 60% of Vietnamese tourists claiming that they worked more hours and used less vacation days during the pandemic, there will be more people setting their well-deserved out of (home) office messages in 2022.

All the First-Time Feels

While many of travellers have forgotten where their passport is, or even just how to pack, all that out-of-practice travel awkwardness will give way to a genuine sense of delight for even the most routine aspects of our trips in 2022.

After feeling ‘stuck’ for so long, travellers will be relishing every moment, instead of looking forward to the pure excitement and anticipation during the journey. 89% of Vietnamese tourists say travel is more enjoyable when the journey feels like part of the trip itself.

Each ‘first’ of our trips in 2022 will be a moment to savour, as a majority of travellers say that simple pleasures such as feeling the sun on their skin or seeing a body of water of some kind improves their mood for the better. The uncertainty of navigating public transportation in a new city in a foreign language is something that two-thirds (71%) of Vietnamese tourists say they are excited by.

Following such a long period of limited options, recapturing the first-time feelings and leaning into every single moment will be a hallmark of trips in 2022.

Community First

As restrictions caused travel to slow in many parts of the world, the pandemic forced us to make the most of what was on our doorsteps, such as supporting independently owned businesses to spending more time than ever at the neighbourhood park.

In 2022, this desire to connect authentically with the local community will continue during vacation too, as we seek to be more mindful about every trip we take and ensure our impact on the places travellers visit.

In fact, 82% of surveyed Vietnamese tourists agreed that it is important that their trip is beneficial to the local community at their destination; meanwhile, 79% would appreciate an app or website that provides recommendations on destinations where an increase in tourism would have a positive impact on the local community.

39% of Vietnamese travellers want to do more research into how well the place they are staying supports local businesses while 31% say they will research how their tourism spending will affect or improve local communities.

Swipe Right on New Places and Faces

For many people, the pandemic meant spending an extended and intense period with our closest friends and loved ones, so vacations in 2022 will be opportunities to branch out and make some new connections.

As 79% of Vietnamese want to meet new friends while away, travellers are expected to use their vacations as an opportunity to expand their usual social circles, with 79% looking forward to exchanging with others while on vacation.

Just Say Yes

After a long period of restrictions, travellers are reclaiming a more positive way of thinking for 2022. The coming year will bring the very best of improv to travel, as people are willing to receive unexpected twist and turn in their trip. In fact, 54% of Vietnamese travellers prefer a vacation where they stay flexible and just go with the flow, instead of having a well-planned itinerary full of activities.

84% of Vietnamese tourists agree they will say yes to any vacation opportunity if budget allows and 74% of that group are more open to different types of vacation than before the pandemic because they’re just happy to be away from home.

Such a positive mentality will open the doors to even more of the world to travellers than ever before, with many taking a more adventurous approach to their holiday choices, and maybe even their companions.

Embracing the Unpredictable

Uncertainty will continue to be a constant in travel in 2022, and travellers cannot change or predict every new surprise and challenge hat fate has in store for us, so we will embrace it.

Having leaned on technology in a variety of ways to stay connected and inspired over the past year and a half, visitors’ favourite apps will continue to help them navigate the unknown on our trips.

Accordingly, 82% of Vietnamese agree that technology helps alleviate the anxiety around travelling. Technology will continue to smooth out the unforeseen bumps in the road with increasing finesse and proactivity.

Because of this, predictive technologies will be adopted more widely, helping travellers make more informed decisions. About 79% of Vietnamese are interested in an innovative service that could predict which countries will be safe to travel to, even months in advance; or 82% wish technology automatically suggests destinations which are easy to travel to now based on their countries’ and destinations’ current COVID-19 requirements.