Many points are overloaded.
The recent Hung Kings Commemoration Day, April 30th, and May 1st holidays saw a boom in tourism nationwide, including in Thua Thien Hue. Although they didn't choose to travel far, Mr. Pham Hoang Bao's family, residing in Hue City, still took the opportunity to visit a few places within the province to experience the holiday atmosphere.
Mr. Bao has two young children. Seeing his friends sharing their experiences at C-Farm in Huong Van Ward, Huong Tra Town, and hearing recommendations like: enjoying the fresh air; picking strawberries and tasting fresh produce; and letting the children play with sheep and rabbits… he decided to go there for a visit.
Mr. Bao believes that this destination basically meets the family's needs, as there are animals the children have never seen before. The ticket price of 70,000 VND per person is also quite reasonable during the holiday. However, due to the holiday, it was too crowded. The animal enclosures were so cramped that there was hardly any room to move; plus, the weather was hot, so the whole family only stayed for about 30 minutes before leaving.
Also choosing this tourist destination as a family vacation spot, Mr. Vu Hoai Phuong, former Principal of Hue Tourism College, assessed that this destination basically satisfies the needs of domestic and provincial tourists today. However, some factors, if improved, would make it an attractive destination. These include the narrow and difficult-to-navigate road leading to the tourist spot, making travel by car quite challenging. Given the moderate size and the experiences offered at the destination, it's necessary to calculate the appropriate number of visitors to avoid overcrowding and ensure sufficient space for visitors to enjoy their experience.
The fact that a new destination like this is attracting tourists shows that, for a long time, visitors from within Hue have had very few choices of entertainment options during holidays and even on weekends. Going to the beach, visiting waterfalls, or going to the movies are considered the main choices for visitors from within the province.
Mr. Tran Van Truyen, Director of the A Travel Mate Trading and Tourism Service Company Limited branch, analyzed that entertainment options such as water parks and thrill rides are lacking in amusement parks. Therefore, whenever a new destination opens in the province, it becomes a "hot" spot, attracting a large number of tourists. From the perspective of tour development, this also contributes to a lack of diversity in existing tours.
Tourists visiting Hue during the recent holiday also noted the overcrowding at many destinations and hotels. The busiest were the heritage sites. For example, on May 1st, the heritage site system welcomed a record 24,300 visitors. The crowds were so large that the electronic ticketing system became overloaded, leading to malfunctions.
Demand is increasing faster than the supply of services.
The issue of lack of entertainment options in Thua Thien Hue province is nothing new. It's a recurring problem after each peak tourist season, or every time the peak domestic tourist season (summer) begins. However, generally speaking, entertainment and recreational services haven't seen significant changes over the years.
Several entertainment and recreation projects have been announced with high expectations, but implementation has been slow, such as Don Sam Park (Huong Thuy); Thuy Tien Water Park has been slow to renovate and reopen for operation…
Among the indicators showing the positive performance of tourism in the ancient capital recently, especially after the holiday, there is one indicator that needs evaluation. That is, the total number of visitors to Hue in 5 days was nearly 100,000, but the number of overnight stays reached 54,400. On average, Hue served about 11,000 visitors per day. Prior to the holiday, Hue had over 13,000 rooms with 21,200 beds. Thus, Hue's tourism sector can still accommodate more overnight visitors. The next step is to develop new products, services, and entertainment venues to retain tourists.
The domestic tourism season has arrived, but what new products and services will Hue offer to attract visitors besides heritage tourism? Most recently, Hue has added a new pedestrian street. According to tourism businesses, the Hai Ba Trung pedestrian street is not yet a deciding factor for visitors to Hue, as it is quite similar to other pedestrian streets across the country.
According to Ms. Duong Thi Cong Ly, Vice President of the Tourism Association, products that are developed in a timely manner to meet the needs of tourists will increase the ability to attract visitors, and vice versa. The faster tourism services and entertainment venues are developed, the more effective the destination will be. In Hue, objectively speaking, the development of products and services is often slower than the demand. Furthermore, the lengthy product development process slows down the innovation of the destination.
Ms. Ly cited examples such as sunflower gardens in Huong Ho, the flower garden in Van The (Thuy Thanh), Son Tho Lake (Huong Tho)... which attract many visitors for "check-ins," but their appeal gradually diminishes after a while. The common characteristic of these destinations is their short lifespan, relatively low investment levels, and many offering monotonous services, resulting in a significant drop in visitors after just one or two seasons.
Recreation and entertainment play a crucial role in the tourism industry, especially in attracting tourists from within the province and the country. Hue tourism needs to be faster in developing its products.
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