Exciting summer travel

SGGP 25/05/2023 06:32

As students across the country begin their summer vacation, the tourism industry is bustling with preparations, adding new tours and destinations to cater to their needs.

The number of tourists visiting Binh Thuan has increased sharply after the opening of the Phan Thiet - Dau Giay and Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet expressways. Photo: NGUYEN TIEN

Attracting customers thanks to… the highway.

More than half a month after the Dau Giay - Phan Thiet expressway opened, Mr. Nguyen Luong's family spent a weekend getaway in Mui Ne, the "resort capital" of Binh Thuan province. Although the road is not yet complete, the travel time from District 7 (Ho Chi Minh City) to Mui Ne is now only 2 hours and 30 minutes. "It's surprising how much time has been saved; it's almost the same as going to Vung Tau beach. From now on, when we think of going to the beach, we won't just think of Vung Tau," Mr. Luong shared.

Last weekend, while visiting popular tourist destinations in Binh Thuan province, we witnessed a dense concentration of 4-seater, 7-seater, and 50-seater cars with Ho Chi Minh City license plates. A staff member at Tien Dat Mui Ne Hotel (Ham Tien ward, Phan Thiet city) said that since the Dau Giay - Phan Thiet expressway opened, tourists from all over, especially Ho Chi Minh City, have flocked to the area. Previously, traveling by road from Ho Chi Minh City to Phan Thiet took 5 hours and required an overnight stay. Now, due to the shorter travel time, groups of tourists can spend their mornings strolling, sandboarding, swimming, having seafood lunches, and then returning to Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon. At the Poshanu Cham Tower historical site, it was already 11 am, but there were still many visitors, with cars parked all along the path leading up to the tower. A security guard said that since the expressway opened, the number of tourists has increased dramatically.

According to statistics from the Binh Thuan Provincial Tourism Association, the opening of the Dau Giay - Phan Thiet expressway during the recent April 30th and May 1st holidays contributed to bringing approximately 160,000 visitors to the province's tourism industry, double the number compared to the same period in 2022. A representative from Little Muine Cottages resort (Mui Ne ward, Phan Thiet city) reported that the number of guests staying there has been very high over the past two weeks. Currently, on weekends, the number of tourists visiting Binh Thuan is as high as during holidays, with accommodation establishments in Phan Thiet city achieving 90%-100% occupancy, something unprecedented in previous years...

According to a representative from TST Tourist, there is currently a growing trend of small group self-guided tours (6-8 people) using self-driving cars and booking individual services through travel agencies. To capitalize on this new trend, businesses will add experiential activities or extend the duration of tours to allow guests more time for sightseeing and recreation. Besides changes in infrastructure, revamped domestic tours are also attracting a significant number of customers.

Not only Binh Thuan, but after the Phan Thiet - Vinh Hao expressway was officially opened, travel agencies also recorded a high increase in the number of tourists booking tours to Khanh Hoa. Many families and groups have also planned to organize their own vacations in Nha Trang, Cam Ranh, etc., this summer.

Exciting overseas tours

Besides domestic tourism, overseas tours are also very popular. After comparing prices of many domestic and international tours, Ms. Thuy Mai (residing in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) decided to choose a 4-day tour to South Korea in mid-June for less than 15 million VND per person. Another friend of Ms. Mai chose a 6-day, 5-night tour departing from Ho Chi Minh City to Fenghuang Ancient Town and Zhangjiajie (China), also at the same price. According to Ms. Thuy Mai, during the peak summer season, domestic airfares to tourist destinations are unpredictable and quite high; meanwhile, with similar costs, tourists have many choices for overseas tours.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietravel Holdings, analyzed: "The actual price tourists are paying now is 2-3 times higher than if the prices were set correctly. In countries like Thailand, South Korea, and China, because of the smooth coordination of inter-agency bodies, the cost of tours is very low."

Meanwhile, Ms. Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh, Marketing Director of Vietravel Tourism Company, said that summer tour buyers are interested in products that help them escape the heat, so the most popular destinations are those with cool climates. After launching the "Summer Promotion" program, Vietravel Tourism Company received approximately 17,600 tour bookings… Many travel agencies also expect that with attractive destinations and reasonable promotional programs, a vibrant summer tourism season will be created, and the tourism industry will contribute to economic recovery. However, businesses and organizations need to improve service quality, lower prices, and create competitive advantages to not only serve domestic tourists but also strongly attract international tourists, reducing the "outflow" of foreign currency due to people choosing… overseas tours.

South Korea is stepping up efforts to welcome Vietnamese tourists.

The Korea Tourism Organization in Vietnam recently collaborated with the Incheon Tourism Promotion Bureau (South Korea) to promote Incheon tourism in Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Baig Hyeon, Director of the Incheon Tourism Organization, stated that Vietnam and South Korea are continuing exchanges on tourism, culture, arts, economics, and trade. Prior to the pandemic in 2019, the number of two-way tourists between Vietnam and South Korea reached 4.85 million, including 4.3 million South Korean tourists visiting Vietnam. Currently, South Korea ranks second in terms of market share in Vietnam's tourism industry, due to numerous direct flights connecting major South Korean cities to Da Nang, Phu Quoc, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ron-rang-du-lich-he-post691015.html