Hue City: Connecting better with the Northern market

Hue is the favorite destination of tourists from the North thanks to its culture strength

Huge market

Over time, Huong Floating Restaurant and Nam Chau Hoi Quan Restaurant have continuously gotten the chance to serve many tourists from the Northern market coming to Hue for using F&B service. This is the result achieved from the cooperation of the management units of these two restaurants with Ha Noi businesses, after the COVID-19 pandemic is controlled.

Mr. Nguyen Khac Toan, Director of Hue Tourism Joint Stock Company said that, the expenditure level of Northern market is around 30% higher than other markets in the country. Northern tourists’ demands are visiting, researching culture, combining with enjoying foods and relaxing. These are the demands that Hue basically meets.

In terms of the competitive advantages in expenditure amount and road transportation cost, Hue carries various advantages. In addition to Hue, tourists from the Northern region often set their tours connecting three localities Hue – Da Nang – Quang Nam.

Mrs. Ho Thi Suong Lan, Director of Phong Lan Viet Tourism Company informed that domestic tourists from Da Nang to the South often prefer the trend of traveling to the southern markets, with short and medium duration of tours. Meanwhile, tourists from the North follow the trend of traveling to the localities having cultural specific characteristics, and beaches with the many-day tours.

Besides the cultural tourism with relaxation, with many-day tours, Hue is the destination for investment of many investors from the North. Therefore, tourists often combine their trips into the work of investment survey and relaxation.

Bringing up the orientation, Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Director of Tourism Department said that the Northern market, especially the Northeast region with the triangle “Ha Noi – Hai Phong – Quang Ninh” is the main cultural, economic, and politic center of the whole country. With the number of tourists from 20 million to 23 million/year, together with the capacity of connecting straight flights from Cat Bi, Van Don to Central countries, with convenient road traffic, especially the system of coastal roads that are under the process of completion, Quang Ninh and Hai Phong are important target domestic tourist markets of Thua Thien Hue tourism in particular and 5 central localities in general (Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam) at present and in the coming time.

Meanwhile, the tourism sectors of Hai Phong and Quang Ninh assessed that the Central region in general and Hue in particular have the widely varied and rich tourism product system such as sea and island tourism, resort-oriented tourism, sports tourism, ecotourism, and health care tourism. With the trend of green tourism, nature tourism, the five central localities committed to keep on being the first choice as the needed-to-go destinations of tourists in the coming time.

Expanding connection

According to the Tourism Department, the connection between Hue and Ha Noi has been carried out for many years. After the tourism revived, there have been many connections in the form of caravan tours, and of tours of Ha Noi groups planned with the Provincial Tourism Association, etc. Since 2018, the tourism sector has made the first connection with the markets from the Northeast region. Recently, the sector has continued to connect the two main markets including Hai Phong and Quang Ninh by the new cooperation MOU, supporting the recovery by exchanging tourists to each market.

Mrs. Ho Thi Suong Lan analyzed that the cooperation between Hue and some Northern markets has faced some difficulties, such as the rising costs and air route schedules. Although the trend is to choose the resort tourism associated with sea, Hue has yet provided the best on beach relaxation. One factor that influences tourism in a long term is the two-way cooperation. While the tourist flux to Hue is quite good, the way back to the above localities is not the same. The reason for this is that tourists who are Hue people often prefer traveling to the Southern provinces and cities. The weather and topography in the North are considered influencing the choice of elderly tourists in Hue and the Central region.

Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc said that in the process of connecting tourists, the sector would try their best to promote and enhance the quality of available products to give better service to tourists, especially, promoting and expanding the exploitation of healthcare tourism associated with waterfalls and hot mineral springs to serve tourists. Besides, the sector would keep on expanding cooperation with 4 provinces and cities including Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Da Nang, Quang Nam; connecting the businesses to build up the joint tours to all localities that are complementary to each other, etc.

Also according to the tourism sector, recently, many tourism sectors from other localities have come to Hue to visit and make the first cooperation. In the future, the sector will organize the delegations to carry out the survey and connect businesses to open new markets, especially the Northwest region and the Northern Delta.

Story and photo: Duc Quang