Taiwan came out on top of the list this year, ousting last year’s winner Thailand to the second place.

According to tourism booking platform Agoda.com, Vietnam was the fourth most looked-up destination for trips in the latter half of 2020.

Agoda’s rankings are based on their user search data — even when the trip to the destination is not available to book due to border restrictions.

The rankings were topped by Taiwan for all demographics, including couples, families, groups, and solo travelers.

Taiwan, known as the birthplace of boba tea, pushed last year’s frontrunner Thailand to the second place, followed by Japan, Vietnam, and Korea.

The rest of the top ten were occupied by the United States, Australia, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Japan and Thailand ranked as the second- and third-most favored destinations for solo travelers, while family groups are attracted to promotions in Thailand and Vietnam.

When it comes to group travelers, Vietnam took the second place.

Tin Hughes, vice-president of corporate development at Agoda, pointed out a huge shift toward domestic tourism as COVID-19 social distancing restrictions have been gradually lifted.

However, as shown by Agoda search data, the itch for international trips has grown strong after months of quarantine, prompting tourists to start mulling over foreign destinations.

“They still have hope that [foreign] travel corridors will open later this year and are looking out for great deals for when they do,” he said.

For Vietnamese tourists, domestic travel is the go-to choice till the end of the year as there are no foreign destinations in their top searches, the statistics suggest.

This year’s list sees Nha Trang City beat the reigning Da Nang City to claim the first place in all tourist demographics.

Most notably, the beaches of Nha Trang climbed six spots from last year to become the most popular destination for Vietnamese solo travelers.

Ho Chi Minh City, on the other hand, dropped to the tenth place, while Da Lat enjoys the fifth spot in popularity.

In a recent conference between the chiefs of Vietnam’s diplomatic missions abroad for the 2020-23 tenure and the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Business Associations (HUBA), delegates recommended that diplomatic officials assist domestic businesses via promotions of Vietnam tourism.

According to Nguyen Quoc Ky, general director of tourism firm Vietravel, the tourist industry is ready to welcome back tourists, including international visitors, as the epidemic has been brought under control in Vietnam.

Diplomatic agencies, most importantly embassies, would play an important role to bridge the way for foreign tourists to revisit Vietnam, he added.

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