Cruise ship tourists disembark at Chan May port

“Big question - no answer”

Coming to Thuan An beach in early summer, we met some tourists from other provinces and international tourists coming here to swim. It seems that there are only 2 services for them to experience: swimming and enjoying seafood, besides that there are no other factors for them to "spend money". Ms. Bui Mai Chi, a tourist from Binh Duong, commented: "Beach services in Hue have not been invested in, although it is close to the city. A very necessary factor is that there are no high-class resorts along the coast".

Tourist reviews partly explain why many people wonder why the spending of visitors to Hue is still low, averaging about 2 million VND/person and has not attracted high-end customers well. Mr. Dinh Manh Thang, Vice President of Vietnam Tourism Association, President of Hue City Tourism Association, pondered: "To have high-end customers, there must be high-end services and high-end investors. This is also the desire of Hue tourism but it is still lacking."

In terms of accommodation alone in Hue, there are currently 887 accommodation establishments, with nearly 14,100 rooms and nearly 22,650 beds, including 199 hotels (accounting for 22.3% of the total number of accommodation establishments) with more than 8,500 rooms and nearly 14,100 beds. However, there are only 24 hotels from 3 to 5 stars with 3,424 rooms and 5,369 beds. Mr. Thang said that in the hotel sector, Hue has not yet attracted high-class international brands, while the two neighboring localities such as Da Nang and Quang Nam have many.

A quick survey of some high-end customers revealed that when traveling, they prefer international corporations. The top choices are Novotel of AccorHotels, Hilton of Blackstone, and two brands of Marriott, Sheraton and JW Marriott. It is also because Hue lacks big brands that the irony arises that customers come to Hue to play but go to Da Nang and Hoi An to “sleep”.

According to tourism experts, it is fair to say that the local government and the tourism industry are very open about mechanisms and policies to attract investment. The Provincial People's Committee (now the City People's Committee) issued Decision No. 19/QD-UBND dated April 21, 2017 on promulgating regulations on preferential policies and support for investment in tourism development in the area to promote investment in infrastructure development, including tourism.

Many strategic investors with domestic tourism brands have invested and are researching investment in the city, such as: Laguna Lang Co, VinGroup, BRG, Ecopark... Some projects have been completed and put into operation such as: Langco Bay Retreat, SBH Gloria Hue Resort, Hue Square, La Vela Hotel, Thien An Hotel...; some projects are preparing to be put into operation, contributing to the development of tourism infrastructure. However, with the increasing demands of tourists and expectations of the potential and strengths of Hue tourism, the question of how to attract investment for Hue tourism still needs an answer.

In fact, the facilities and services at accommodation establishments in Hue have not been properly invested. Entertainment and beauty care services, spa services and essential services such as food and beverage are still modest. Not only is there a lack of big hotel brands, Hue also lacks strategic investors to invest in large projects, with international brands to create highlights and have typical tourism products (golf courses, casinos).

Hotel staff Parkview Hotel Hue prepares rooms for guests

Research carefully, find solutions

Open mechanisms and policies are Hue’s plus points in attracting and calling for investment. However, in the current context, not only Hue but also other localities are ready to “shake hands” with investors, with attractive mechanisms and in accordance with the provisions of the law.

According to the leader of the Hue City Tourism Association, the top priority for investors is to research the market. Investment requires capital recovery. Investors always look at the capacity and potential of the market to invest, and this is one of the points that Hue must pay attention to. In other words, there must be a large number of regular visitors for investors to come.

Calling for investment requires a comprehensive set of solutions, including diversifying products, creating favorable mechanisms to attract visitors, linking aviation - tourism, travel - hotels, etc. Director of the Department of Tourism Tran Thi Hoai Tram shared that the locality is focusing on removing bottlenecks and promoting investment calls. After having a project to develop tourism and services until 2030, with a vision to 2045, the local government, the Department of Tourism and related departments and branches continue to implement many solutions to both promote attracting visitors, create an attractive environment and promote investment calls in the tourism sector.

Sharing about issues related to attracting investment with the press, the leader of Hue City People's Committee affirmed that the city has directed to continue implementing solutions to improve the business environment, improve the provincial competitiveness index (PCI), committed to continue to reduce the time for administrative procedures, promote the building of a friendly government, open and transparent information, create an equal competitive environment, build policies to support businesses and investors, reduce unofficial costs, market entry costs, time costs, etc. Besides, the city leaders are also serious and ready to listen to the recommendations and proposals of businesses and investors with the spirit of openness, sharing, understanding and companionship; promptly take effective measures to handle, especially the difficulties and problems arising from practice.

Article and photos: HUU PHUC

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/du-lich/thu-hut-dau-tu-cho-du-lich-hue-con-nhieu-diem-nghen-153979.html