Ready to "catch the wave" of new customer market

As tourism trends change, the tourist market continuously expands, requiring Thanh Hoa tourism to strongly innovate its approach. Destinations and businesses in the province have been making efforts to develop products, upgrade service quality and expand market connections, ready to "welcome" the flow of tourists from new markets.

Lam Kinh National Special Historical Site regularly welcomes large domestic and international delegations to visit.

At Sam Son Beach Tourist Urban Area - the place that welcomes the largest number of visitors in the province, the most noticeable change is the growth rate of visitors coming to the resort, especially the large number of group visitors. Along with visitors from the traditional market from the Northern provinces, in recent years the number of visitors from key tourist destinations such as Da Nang, Hue, Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast provinces has had positive growth. The 3-5 star accommodation system in the tourist area has recorded higher than expected occupancy rates during the peak summer months. According to travel agencies, the market of visitors from the Southern provinces to Sam Son Beach Tourist Urban Area is often more interested in experiencing local culture, resorting to cultural - sports - tourism events and night entertainment programs. Grasping the needs of tourists, service providers have focused on renewing products, while upgrading services in the direction of increasing experiences.

Along with domestic tourists, the number of international tourists to Thanh Hoa has gradually increased significantly. Notably, the tourist market from Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and some European countries especially loves cultural and ecological tourist destinations such as Pu Luong, Lam Kinh, Thanh Nha Ho. Most European tourist groups choose the trekking journey - experiencing craft villages - staying at homestays combined with enjoying local cuisine .

Director of GBest Vietnam - Thanh Hoa branch Nguyen Thi Ha commented that Thanh Hoa is in a good position to make a breakthrough if it knows how to welcome the right "taste" of new guests. In particular, the international tourist market prioritizes safe destinations, rich in local experiences and not too crowded. Thanh Hoa can meet this if it continues to invest synchronously in experiential products in mountainous areas, expands the chain of high-quality services in coastal tourist areas, especially strengthens inter-regional connections with Ninh Binh - Nghe An - Hanoi to diversify the itinerary.

“The number of international visitors staying 2 nights or more in Thanh Hoa is now higher than before. This is the time for the province to continue improving its services, building clearer stories and cultural experiences at each destination, not only to attract but also retain visitors. The trend of international visitors coming to Thanh Hoa is to slow down, experience nature and real culture, so the more original the product and the more meticulous and professional the service, the more attractive it will be,” Ms. Ha emphasized.

In the Western mountainous region, Pu Luong is currently a "bright spot" of community tourism with an increasing structure of international visitors. Room occupancy rates on weekends and holidays throughout the year are between 80 and 100%, demonstrating the stable attraction of the community eco-resort model here. Local authorities have also begun to implement new management models to protect the landscape and control construction density, while still creating conditions for the community to participate in providing services. Along with that, community tourism at other destinations such as But village (Nam Xuan commune), Ma village (Thuong Xuan commune), Nang Cat village (Linh Son commune) ... is currently focusing on exploiting trekking routes, promoting the development of experiential tourism to welcome young visitors from new markets.

For young tourists, the trend of experiential tourism - discovery - content creation is becoming a driving force for the strong development of tourism. Many destinations such as Hai Tien, Bai Dong, Pu Luong Nature Reserve, Cam Luong fish stream, Dong Son ancient village... have become "viral" on social networking platforms, leading to the emergence of new experiential services such as taking photos with local concepts, short-term discovery tours or weekend cultural - tourism events. The trend of exploratory tourism from this group of tourists is considered an opportunity for businesses and destinations to expand their services and invest heavily in experiential products.

International visitors visit the exhibition room at the Ho Dynasty Citadel Heritage Conservation Center.

In response to trends and demands from new markets, the province has implemented many solutions to improve its capacity to welcome visitors. It focuses on renewing existing products, building products in chains, and focusing on market demand. Some seasonal tourism programs such as Pu Luong ripe rice season, early spring festival season, sea tourism festival season... are professionally promoted and associated with new accommodation, cuisine, and experience products. The mindset of developing products based on "value chains" instead of individual points is creating better competitiveness for the province's key tourism destinations, especially when neighboring localities are strongly developing eco-tourism and cultural tourism. This connection is considered the "key" for Thanh Hoa to expand the market, extend the length of stay of tourists, and access high-quality visitors.

According to tourism expert Duong Minh Binh, the most important thing for Thanh Hoa to effectively attract new tourist markets is to invest heavily in cultural experiences and service quality. Because Thanh Hoa's advantage is not only the number of destinations, but also the diversity of tourism resources from sea, forest to the system of ancient cultural relics.

“New visitors today want to discover a lively, authentic and convenient Thanh Hoa. If the locality maintains good service quality, improves the capacity of tourism staff and tells cultural stories in a more attractive way, Thanh Hoa has the ability to attract a diverse market of visitors from key tourist destinations across the country,” said Mr. Binh.

Preparing for 2026 - entering a new development phase, welcoming the "wave" of the new tourist market not only contributes to realizing the goal of increasing the numbers, but is also an opportunity for Thanh Hoa to position itself as a destination rich in identity. With careful preparation and a planned strategy, Thanh Hoa tourism promises to bring visitors "Safe - friendly - attractive" vacations.

Article and photos: Hoai Anh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/san-sang-don-song-thi-truong-khach-moi-270884.htm