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Hue needs more tourism products for a sustainable development of both air travel and tourism
Double the benefits
One of the stated reasons why Hue tourism has been decelerated for many years is the low accessibility of the locality from other places. The airport infrastructure is still limited, and the number of incoming and outgoing flights are often scheduled for the evening time or with inconvenient flight hours that make it difficult for tourists to do tours or check-out hotel rooms.
However, it is expected that Hue tourism will thrive as Phu Bai International Airport expands its annual handling capacity to 5 million passengers, and the new Vietravel Airline is soon launched and headquartered in Hue.
Mr. Le Huu Minh, Acting Director of the Department of Tourism excitedly shared this information, which he believed to have a great impact on Hue tourism. With Vietravel Airlines headquartered in Hue, the number of incoming and outgoing flights will increase in the locality, which partly alleviates the concern over visitor sources and improve the passive situation over these many recent years.
According to Vietravel, nearly 300 charter flights (flights that the company rents the entire aircraft) were operated in 2018. With its growing number of customers, Vietravel decided to launch a new airline to serve customers in their major markets and to aim for more professional and prompt services.
Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky, Vietravel's General Director said that Hue was by far the only locality in Vietnam that receives the most investment from Vietravel. The city has distinctively rich culture and history, so Vietravel wants to invest more in Hue with more services to stimulate the city as a tourist attraction. In turn, when Hue attracts more visitors, Vietravel also stands a better chance to develop.
After its coming into being, Vietravel Airlines will operate its charter flights. According to Vietravel's representatives, unlike the services of commercial airlines, which are necessary to maintain flights under any circumstances, charter flights can be flexibly run depending on the travel needs of passengers, thereby reducing costs, increasing tours’ connection, and expanding the market to places where commercial airlines do not reach as the number of passengers is not enough to cover costs of operation.
Vietravel welcoming guests to Hue
Developing more products
According to travel experts, air travel is the dominant factor in the tourism industry in any locality, as the number of passengers traveling by air accounts for 80-90% of the total number of visitors. In turn, when local tourism develops, flight frequency also increases. The parallel development of tourism and air travel will transform Hue into a dynamic destination.
Local tourism leaders shared that in the meetings towards the launch of Vietravel Airlines, the company affirmed that its goal was to develop Hue as a tourist destination. Accordingly, Vietravel will actively promote the city and seek sources of tourists, along with building more quality products and new tourism services to meet the increasingly higher demands of tourists.
In accordance with the company’s initiatives, Hue city by itself also needs to accelerate by building and diversifying suitable tourist products to impress visitors as a dynamic tourist spot. Special attention should be reserved for products that target Vietravel Airlines’ customers, which helps boost the company’s growth. Only when both the above factors are taken into account can Hue tourism develop.
Also, experience from previously discontinued charter flights in Hue should be exactly identified to avoid similar impediments. Visitor shortage and the destination’s limited appeal are believed to be the causes.
An additional driving force for Hue to better seize this opportunity is the potential investments it can attract, as shared by leading experts and business owners at the conference on "Developing Tourism of the Central – Central Highlands" held in Hue in early 2019. When it came to deciding a destination for investment, the local high accessibility, air transport would play a decisive role and is a crucial element.
By Duc Quang