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| International tourists arriving in Hue by air |
Preparing for the “golden season”
As the summer peak for domestic tourists ends, it’s time for the tourism industry to prepare for the international tourist peak season, which typically lasts from October to April. Preparing for this “golden season,” travel companies focusing on inbound foreign tourists and local authorities urgently develop long-term plans with tourism products and services suitable for each market.
Mr. Do Ngoc Co, Chairman of the Provincial Travel Association, said each customer market has different needs for exploration and experience. European tourists and those from the United States are very interested in exploring cultural heritage, and Hue is their top destination. Based on tourist needs, travel companies are also refreshing tours, routes, and travel experiences for guests. Additionally, with the open visa policy, tourists have the need for long-day trips across different localities, so travel agencies in Hue are also connecting with many businesses in other provinces and cities to attract and serve tourists coming to Hue.
The challenge of attracting tourists, especially international ones, is being focused on by the tourism industry nationwide. Provinces with advantages in beach tourism, such as Quang Ninh, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, etc., are opening up more directions for cruise tourism development. Mountainous provinces like Ha Giang, Son La, Lao Cai, Dien Bien, Cao Bang, etc., continue to leverage their natural landscape advantages, promoting flower tourism products and border tourism tours. In Hue, cultural heritage is seen as an advantageous factor to attract and develop tourism. The tourism industry and businesses are also striving to exploit other types of tourism such as spiritual tourism, resort tourism, medical tourism, lagoon tourism, along with the advantages of distinctive culinary services.
During the international tourist peak season, Hue often experiences prolonged rainy weather. The development of tourism products and programs during the rainy season this year is also focused on and adjusted by local businesses, concentrating more on indoor experiences, including many relic sites, exhibition spaces, and museums. Besides, businesses are also exploiting city tours serving guests to view Hue rain from buses.
For a strong growth
Vietnam welcomed nearly 10 million international visitors in the first 7 months of the year, up 51% compared to the same period in 2023 and up 1.9% compared to the same period in 2019 – the golden time of Vietnam’s tourism. For Thua Thien Hue, in the first 7 months of the year, the number of visitors to Hue was over 2.3 million, of which nearly 863,000 were international visitors, an increase of 42.16% compared to the same period last year. In recent months, the United States, Taiwan (China), Australia, United Kingdom, Spain, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, France, South Korea, etc., have been markets with a large number of visitors to Hue. The number of international visitors is expected to increase strongly during the peak season. However, to create a strong breakthrough in visitor growth, the tourism industry also needs to continue implementing many solutions.
Mr. Truong Thanh Minh, Director of the Tourism Information and Promotion Center, shared that the provincial tourism industry, in collaboration with localities in the regional linkage bloc, especially Da Nang and Quang Nam, has been running tourism promotion and advertising programs in many places, including Taiwan (China) and Southeast Asian countries. In September 2024, Thua Thien Hue's tourism industry will also participate in the 18th Ho Chi Minh City International Tourism Fair - 2024, thereby introducing strengths, programs, and distinctive tourism products. At the same time, this tourism fair will provide information on programs and events that will take place in the last months of 2024 and the year 2025, along with tourism stimulus products to visitors and tourism service businesses domestically and internationally. The tourism industries of Hue, Da Nang, and Quang Nam will also have a tourism promotion and advertising program in Australia in 2024.
Currently, the tourism industry is also surveying and researching the spending needs of international tourists, thereby grasping the psychology and tastes of customer markets. In addition, local authorities and the tourism industry are connecting partners to exploit and develop international air routes to attract foreign tourists to Hue by air. Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Director of the Department of Tourism, said that the quality of tourism services and products is an important factor. The tourism industry and the business community are researching and perfecting tourism products, upgrading services, and training human resources to improve the quality of service for tourists.