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| International tourists visiting Hue are using resort products at a resort in Phu Loc district. Photo: Nguyen Hung |
Exciting international tours
After booking a 5-day and 4-night tour to Singapore and Malaysia departing on April 29th at a travel agency, Mr. Tran Xuan Chinh, a resident of Quang Dien district said that this summer he would have a long business trip to different Northern provinces. Hence, he would take this holiday to travel with his family, as a summer vacation in 2023.
Mr. Chinh continued to share that his family initially planned to only go for a domestic tour, specifically to Phu Quoc, but the tour price on this holiday increased quite high. After being consulted by a travel agency staff on prices and related issues, he decided to switch to a Singapore - Malaysia tour. Despite a difference of VND 2 million/person for the tour expense, he chose it because this would be the first tour abroad for his two children.
According to the Provincial Travel Association, overseas tours are much more exciting than the domestic ones this year. The number of domestic tour bookings at many companies is not large so far due to the high price of services during the holiday, especially the air transportation and accommodation services. This makes the prices between domestic and international tours gradually approach each other. A tour to Thailand during the upcoming holiday is even cheaper than some domestic tours.
Through a survey at travel agencies, the selected international tour destinations focused on Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia... In addition, some new destinations such as Laos, or familiar destinations such as South Korea were also chosen, yet not too many tours were booked.
In the opposite direction, many tour routes to Hue are also marketed by businesses. The Vietravel offers nearly 50 different tours directly to Hue and the Central region, including Hue. The Saigontourist deploys 16 tours to Hue and a series of tours to the Central region with Hue as one of the destinations. The Hanoitourist travel company operates 7 tours to Hue during the holiday. Or, The Dai Viet International Travel Company is selling more than 10 tours to Hue and the Central region…
The Booking.com, one of the world’s leading online travel agencies, revealed that the latest search data reflected the preferences and trends of Vietnamese travelers on the most popular destinations from April 29th to May 3rd. Accordingly, Hue is one of the 10 most destinations searched by tourists. The number of guests booking accommodation through this application also increases compared to that of the previous years. Therefore, Hue is expected to welcome a large number of visitors who makes the tours by their own on this year’s holiday.
A good preparation to serve tourists
During the holiday of April 30th and May 1st this year, Hue City will be vibrant with the Hue Traditional Craft Festival 2023. Dozens of activities and events will be organized. The space of this year’s festival is expanded to increase the interactivity for visitors to experience its exciting activities. The festival is an important tourism stimulus event not only for the holiday, but also for marking the beginning of the summer tourist season in 2023.
As predicted by tourism experts, the trend of independent travel visitors to Hue will increase. This includes types of private car travels, unexpected trips, and late-planned travels later. The proactivity of tourism services in Hue is very essential to avoid unexpected arrivals and insufficient services.
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Director of the Department of Tourism, said that in addition to the activities of Hue Traditional Craft Festival 2023, tourism services and products associated with the sea and waterfalls are also ready to serve visitors on the holiday. Currently, these services have gradually reactivated. Waterfall attractions exploited by businesses have simultaneously opened to serve guests. At other springs and waterfalls, local people and cooperatives repaired and upgraded campsites to welcome guests.
A promising product that is also selected by many people in the upcoming holiday is Tam Giang lagoon tourist products. The Dai Bang Tourism Joint Stock Company informed that their current service of rowing SUP, watching the sunset on the lagoon and enjoying seafood in the afternoons of the holiday has been fully booked. The company is investing to increase the number of SUPs to serve more customers.
At the Vietravel Company - Hue Branch, the company launched a bike tour of “Unique Bao Vinh” on this holiday. The tour will take visitors to one of the famous places in the past with Hue’s traditional cake - Bao Vinh ancient town. Tourists will leisurely bike along the beautiful streets of Hue city. The company’s target customers are those who love the romance and love to experience the gentle life of the beautiful ancient capital.
According to an estimate of the Department of Tourism, the number of visitors to Hue during the holiday of April 30 and May 1 this year may increase by about 20% compared to that of the last holiday. In order to welcome tourists, the Department has coordinated with the Provincial Police, People's Committees of Hue City, districts and towns to conduct inspection at accommodation establishments, travel agencies and destinations throughout the province. Through the inspection, the authorities will remind service providers of maintaining accommodation service quality, posting the registered price list, selling services/products at the listed price, strengthening the security and safety in terms of fire prevention and fighting, environmental hygiene and food safety at local tourist sites, attractions, tourist accommodation establishments, restaurants…