Foreign tourists participate in personalized tours, exploring Hue along their own itineraries, closely connected to local life.

Nguyen Hoang Minh (27 years old), a freelance tour guide in Hue , started offering personalized tours more than a year ago. Instead of selling tours with fixed schedules, Minh discusses with clients beforehand their preferences, time constraints, budget, and even their "mood for the trip" to create a personalized itinerary.

“Some groups of tourists just want to go to really quiet places, away from crowds. Others prefer experiencing local life, like having breakfast at a familiar Hue restaurant, going to the market, or sitting at a riverside cafe. Each tour will be designed in a unique way, tailored to the needs of the customers,” Minh shared.

With busy schedules, many young travelers, especially from large cities, don't have much time to research and plan detailed itineraries themselves. Instead of having to "rack their brains" choosing destinations, restaurants, or transportation, they tend to seek out personalized tour design services to optimize their experience.

Ms. Le Thu Trang (26 years old, Hanoi ) shared: “My friends and I are all busy with work, so we hardly have time to plan. When we went to Hue, we just needed to work with the tour designer beforehand, and all the itineraries, from meals and transportation to sightseeing spots, were already prepared. It felt so relaxing; we just packed our suitcases and went.”

Many tours designed by Minh focus on experiences. For example, a morning bike ride in the Thuy Bieu pomelo orchard; an afternoon visit to a quiet cafe to sip a cup of salted coffee, letting your mood slowly melt away with the soothing sounds of labad music...

This approach increases personalization but also requires more time investment. “I only design tours for one or two groups of clients a day. I provide detailed guidance on timing, transportation, the most suitable means of transport, the budget for the trip… and customer care throughout the journey. So, if I take on too many, the quality will suffer,” Minh said.

Adapt to change

Beyond designing personalized tours, many young people in Hue are choosing to start tourism businesses with small, flexible models such as homestays, food tours, or experiences connected to local life. The common thread among these models is a focus on creating a sense of intimacy, just the right amount of feeling, and a distinctly "Hue-style" experience.

Nguyen Phuoc Mai Thao (29 years old), the owner of a small homestay in the Kim Long area, said that instead of investing in hotels or accommodation chains, she chose to create a homestay with just enough rooms to accommodate groups of less than 10 people. Thao's homestay has only a few rooms, a simple design, and retains plenty of green space and common areas so that guests can experience the local way of life.

“Most guests here don’t need too many modern amenities. They enjoy spending their mornings in the garden, cycling in the afternoons, and chatting or reading in the evenings. I try to create the feeling that tourists are living in Hue, not just visiting,” Thao shared. Guests can also participate in small experiences such as going to the market, cooking, and painting on conical hats… According to Thao, it is these seemingly ordinary things that make tourists remember the experience longer.

Food tours organized by young people are also becoming a new highlight. No longer focusing on famous restaurants that appear frequently online, these tours target lesser-known places, reflecting the unique culinary habits of Hue people. Each restaurant has its own story, perhaps a family-run business for decades, or a dish known only to locals.

While these small-scale models bring a fresh perspective to Hue tourism, they also face numerous challenges. First and foremost is the pressure of competition as more and more young people enter this field. New ideas are easily copied, while maintaining distinctiveness requires significant time and effort.

In addition, Hue tourism has a distinct seasonality. During peak season, the number of visitors increases sharply, but during off-peak season, many homestays or experiential services experience prolonged periods of low occupancy. For young entrepreneurs starting on a small scale, this is a difficult challenge to overcome.

Choosing a different path, the approach to tourism taken by young people in Hue possesses unique characteristics. It's a combination of creativity, perseverance, and adaptability in a rapidly changing environment. And it is from these small-scale models that a new tourism style for Hue is gradually taking shape.

Text and photos: TUỆ BĂNG

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/du-lich/nguoi-tre-lam-moi-du-lich-hue-165923.html