Vietnamese people flock to ski and 'cloud hunt' during New Year's Eve

Vietnamese tourists favor destinations for "cloud hunting".

According to a survey conducted by Tien Phong newspaper among travel companies, tourism this year has not seen many changes or breakthroughs, mainly focusing on the dominance of short-day domestic tours. Destinations such as Lao Cai, Ha Giang , and Phu Quoc still hold a dominant position in the domestic tourism market.

Among these, mountainous destinations in the North are of particular interest to tourists, such as Ta Xua, Moc Chau (Son La), Lung Cu flagpole (Ha Giang), Cat Cat village, Fansipan peak ( Lao Cai ),... attracting visitors to "hunt" for clouds amidst a landscape likened to a fairyland.

Ta Xua, Sapa is one of the most popular "cloud-hunting" destinations for the 2024 New Year holiday. Photo: Thu Ng.

Ms. NTTH, representative of Hoa Mai Tourist travel company on Hang Non Street (Hanoi), said that because the New Year's holiday is not too long, tourists tend to choose domestic travel more often.

"Currently, we have sold about 90% of our planned targets. Notably, for domestic tours such as Ha Giang and Ta Xua, the number of bookings has increased sharply, doubling compared to last year, with prices starting from only 3 million VND per person. We are opening more routes and pick-up points to serve customer needs," added Ms. NTTH.

A dreamy starry sky scene in Ta Xua (Son La province). Photo: Nguyen Thi Lien.

Similarly, Ms. PTKO, owner of Yen Binh homestay in Sapa, reported that many families booked rooms as early as the end of November, and the majority were guests from Hanoi. The number of bookings for the New Year holiday this year increased sharply by 30% compared to previous years.

"Every year, we only get fully booked right before the holiday, but this year many guests want to see the clouds and snow, so about two weeks before the holiday, we've already booked all our rooms," Ms. PTKO shared.

Travel companies have noted a significant increase in the number of bookings for short-day tours to the Northwest region during this year's New Year holiday compared to the same period last year, with young people making up the majority of those purchasing tours during this time.

A representative from an agency on Hang Bo Street in Hanoi shared that one of the reasons short-term domestic tours are popular is that this year, tour prices during Christmas and New Year are not as high as in previous years. This is due to the significant decrease in gasoline prices recently, and tourism and travel businesses also want to leverage their brand image to kick off a new tourist season.

Speaking to Tien Phong newspaper, NMH (residing in Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi) said that for this year's New Year's holiday, she chose a 3-day, 2-night tour to Ta Xua (Son La province) costing nearly 5 million VND, along with some friends.

"Seeing the photos posted on social media with scenes bathed in warm sunshine and blue skies, my friends and I planned a 'cloud hunting' trip to Ta Xua. I chose a tour instead of going independently because the tours are designed within a reasonable timeframe, with flexible itineraries suitable for short holidays, and the destinations and services clearly demonstrate convenience," added NMH.

The trend of having breakfast and coffee at "million-dollar views" is attracting adventurous young people. Photo: Le Thi.

A travel agency in Hanoi said that coastal cities such as Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet... are also popular with tourists during this holiday, especially hotels and resorts located right by the sea.

According to statistics, occupancy rates in Da Nang are expected to be 40-60% (higher for beachfront hotels) and in Hoi An 85-90%. In Nha Trang, international 5-star hotels have reached 90% occupancy, while Vietnamese 5-star hotels are around 30%. Similarly, occupancy rates in Phan Thiet are 45-60%.

In the 5-star hotel segment in Phu Quoc, the average occupancy rate is over 80%, with high demand causing 3-4 star hotels to be almost fully booked. However, Vietnamese tourists only account for 20% of the total number of hotel bookings in Phu Quoc during this period.

Skiing tours are attracting many tourists.

In the higher-end customer segment, tourists tend to choose tours to Japan, South Korea, and Europe to experience skiing. Notably, those participating in these tours will start their holidays before Christmas and continue until the end of New Year's Day to have enough time to explore.

A business based in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, reported a positive trend in the total number of customers during the Lunar New Year holiday. Notably, the number of people traveling abroad increased sharply, eight times more than last year and three-quarters of the pre-pandemic period (2019). The majority of customers chose mid- to high-end tours to Japan, South Korea, and Europe, costing from 60 million to over 100 million VND per person for approximately 10 days.

Many Vietnamese tourists register for winter skiing trips well before Christmas. Photo: Pexels.

Typically, this winter, Ms. HH chose Gangwon-do province (a 2-hour drive from Seoul) as her destination to go skiing and snowboarding in South Korea. After experiencing this activity, this female tourist found skiing very enjoyable and challenging.

"I couldn't skate the first time because my skates were too tight, and I was so sore all over that I thought I'd never try again. But I still tried, kept learning, and eventually achieved my goal. Once you can skate, you'll feel a great desire to conquer more challenges, a feeling of victory over yourself. If you've mastered skating, you'll become very passionate about it and want to try it again and again," Ms. HH shared.

Skiing requires patience from visitors. Photo: Hien Hoang.

Furthermore, according to statistics from Hoa Mai Tourist, the demand for overseas travel to celebrate the New Year is not a sudden surge but is consistently increasing. This year, Europe is also a popular destination for some customer groups to celebrate Christmas and New Year, while also taking advantage of major sales during the peak season in the West.

Meanwhile, some other travel agencies note that tourists on overseas tours still tend to opt for budget-friendly itineraries that suit their spending habits, such as a 4-5 day Bangkok - Chiang Mai (Thailand) tour for 9 million VND; a 4-day Singapore tour for 12 million VND; and a 5-day Malaysia tour for 15 million VND. In addition, with prices around 8 million VND per person and easy entry procedures, many tours to Thailand, Taiwan (China), Malaysia, Cambodia, etc., are increasingly attracting the attention of tourists.

Regarding prices, travel companies say that tour prices for Tet this year will only see slight adjustments compared to normal, increasing by 5-15% depending on the itinerary.

Source: TPO

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