Holiday tourism is booming

With the surge in tourists, many localities are raking in trillions of dong.

In the five days from April 27th to May 1st, Binh Thuan welcomed 220,000 visitors, an increase of approximately 25% compared to the breakthrough tourism year of 2023, thanks to the opening of the Dau Giay - Phan Thiet expressway. Average room occupancy reached around 75-95%, generating revenue of approximately 420 billion VND.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Thuan province, most visitors are families, groups of friends, and individual travelers using private vehicles. In addition, a smaller number of tourists travel to Phan Thiet - Binh Thuan on organized tours. Due to the hot weather, tourists are concentrated in large numbers at the beaches, especially at beaches such as Doi Duong, Thuong Chanh, Ong Dia Rock Beach, Hon Rom, and NovaWorld Phan Thiet…

Many tourist destinations were overcrowded during the April 30th - May 1st holiday.

Similarly, Khanh Hoa also had a very successful holiday season, welcoming nearly a million visitors for sightseeing and relaxation, generating total revenue of over 1,306 billion VND, a 53% increase compared to the 2023 holiday period. Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Thanh, Director of the Khanh Hoa Department of Tourism, explained that although the high airfares affected domestic tourism, the smooth operation of the highway from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang made it very convenient for tourists from Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces to travel to Khanh Hoa by road. Besides road and air travel, rail travel was also a popular choice for domestic tourists during this year's holiday. In addition to the domestic tourism market, the international tourist market also showed an upward trend, particularly from countries like China and South Korea.

Tourism thrives during the holiday season.

Despite lacking beaches and mountains, Ho Chi Minh City remains a popular choice for many families. As a result, during this year's April 30th holiday, the estimated number of visitors to tourist attractions and entertainment areas in the city reached approximately 969,000, a 2% increase compared to the same period in 2023 (around 950,000). Tourism revenue reached approximately 3,235 billion VND, a 3.4% increase compared to the same period last year. Notably, both domestic and international tourists visiting Ho Chi Minh City increased.

Specifically, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed approximately 325,000 domestic tourists, a 1.6% increase compared to the same period in 2023; the number of international tourists reached about 54,000, a 12.5% ​​increase. The number of overnight stays at accommodation facilities was estimated at around 200,000, an 11% increase. According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the tour of the City People's Council and People's Committee headquarters was one of the highlights of this holiday. In addition, tourist attractions in the city such as the Cu Chi Tunnels Historical Site, the Rung Sac War Zone Historical Site, Saigon Zoo, Dam Sen Cultural Park, etc., also offered many promotional programs, attracting many participants.

This year, due to the high cost of airfare, many families opted for independent travel to destinations near Ho Chi Minh City. As a result, not only were "traditional" tourist areas in Ba Ria-Vung Tau such as Ho Tram, Long Hai beach, and Vung Tau city fully booked, but many new check-in spots like Suoi Mo tourist area, Tri An lake, and Buu Long tourist area in Dong Nai also recorded a significant increase in visitors compared to the same holiday period in 2023.

Get ready for an exciting summer!

Locals experienced a bumper harvest, and tourism businesses also closed out a spectacular holiday season. For example, at the end of the holiday season, Vietluxtour Company's outbound tourism business plan reached 100%, an increase of approximately 28% compared to the same period last year. Of this, 50% were tourists traveling to Northeast Asia, while the remainder were to Thailand, Singapore-Malaysia, Australia, Europe, etc. Domestic tours reached 95% of the projected business plan, an increase of approximately 20% compared to the same period last year. Two-thirds of these were package tours, mostly to coastal destinations such as Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Da Nang, Phu Quoc, and Ha Long Bay. The remainder were tourists using Free & Easy (F&E) services, or partial services such as hotel bookings, airline tickets, and car rentals.

The long holiday has heated up domestic tourism, paving the way for a vibrant summer season.

Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu, Marketing and Communications Director of Vietluxtour Travel Joint Stock Company, said that during the days leading up to and throughout the holidays, Vietluxtour still serves tourists who book F&E services and individual services. However, the number of these customers is not very large because most tourists have prepared quite early for their holidays and have booked services before the holidays. Tourists who book services close to the holidays mostly have spontaneous travel plans and are concentrated in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

"Before the holiday, tourism businesses were most concerned about the excessively high airfares, which would dampen the peak tourist season. To this day, airfares remain a major concern for domestic tourism, especially for large groups of hundreds or thousands of people. However, the rise of road tourism, along with families traveling independently by car, has somewhat mitigated this challenge. Therefore, domestic tourism has not been affected too much."

"We predict that tourist demand this summer will not be significantly different from the April 30th holiday. With a longer summer break, F&E services and domestic tour options will still be popular among families with 1-2 generations for leisure travel. The domestic group tour market (MICE) will still dominate in terms of customer numbers, with a high probability that group tours of several hundred to a thousand people will lean more towards routes traveling by car such as from Ho Chi Minh City to Phan Thiet, Vung Tau, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Tuy Hoa, Quy Nhon... and from Hanoi to Ha Long, Sam Son, Ninh Binh...", Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu commented.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Huy, Chairman of Sun Group in the Northern region, informed that across the country, Sun Group's tourist resorts have prepared new products and services to serve tourists, enhancing their experience during the April 30th - May 1st holiday and the summer of 2024. In the Northern region, Sun Group has collaborated with local authorities to organize many programs and festivals.

For example, the recently inaugurated Sam Son Beach Square and Festival Landscape Axis hosted the 2024 Beach Tourism Festival in a vibrant setting, marking the beginning of a lively summer tourism season. Over 300,000 people flocked to the square to immerse themselves in the festivities. To celebrate President Ho Chi Minh's birthday on May 19th, Sun World Sam Son will also be inaugurated, offering a modern outdoor amusement park complex with world-class experiences, attracting tourists to Sam Son and Thanh Hoa this summer. Similarly, Ha Long will also host many unique events and festivals such as the first-ever Dragon Festival; the 2024 Ha Long Beer and Squid Festival; and the 2024 Carnival… creating a strong attraction for tourists to the heritage site of Ha Long this summer. In the Northwest mountainous region – a unique area at the northernmost point of the country – the Rose Festival offers many new and attractive experiences, providing visitors with memorable moments.

"Hopefully, with such a vibrant summer season, Sun Group will join hands with local authorities to strongly promote tourism, both for domestic and international markets," said Mr. Nguyen Quang Huy.

In the north, destinations such as Ha Long, Cat Ba, Sam Son, Cua Lo, Tam Dao, Dien Bien, and Sa Pa are all experiencing overcrowding. Many hotels and homestays have reported reaching maximum capacity and are fully booked early. In particular, Dien Bien province this year is organizing numerous activities to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory and the National Tourism Year - Dien Bien 2024, which is predicted to increase the number of tourists by up to 300% compared to previous holiday periods.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/du-lich-le-boi-thu-185240501192804402.htm