Tourists who do not plan early will have difficulty finding the room they want if they want to travel to Co To (Quang Ninh) or Cat Ba (Hai Phong) on the weekend.
Hoang Anh, a tourist from Hanoi, posted on June 29 in three groups sharing travel experiences in Co To to find a room with the criteria of "good quality, near the beach, guaranteed two double beds". After half a day, she still hadn't found anyone to accept her request, so she decided to "use whatever room is available".
"I didn't think finding a room with simple requirements would be so difficult," she said.
Khuat Van Quynh, the owner of a homestay in Co To, said he often had to "sleep in a hammock outside" during June due to the large number of guests. Quynh's establishment actually only has 10 rooms for rent and one single room for a couple and their small child to sleep in. However, because the single room is not very large, if it is full, he has to sleep outside.
As of July 20, his establishment had no more rooms available. The owner of this establishment said this is a common situation for many motels and homestays on the island. Guests who want to travel at the end of July are currently having a hard time finding rooms.
Vu Thanh Minh, owner of another homestay with 10 rooms in Hong Van (Co To), said that the room occupancy rate is always at 90-95% in June. On weekends in July and August, this facility is also almost sold out. The number of rooms during the week is also relatively small. According to Mr. Minh, tourists need to book at least one or two weeks in advance if they want to choose reputable accommodations on the island.
Co To Wharf on June 16. Photo: Vu Thanh Minh
Data from Mustgo, a company that provides rooms to travel agencies, shows that accommodation facilities in Co To are mainly 1-3 star hotels, motels or homestays with limited room availability. Room rates during the peak summer season do not increase significantly, ranging from VND500,000 to VND1 million per night.
During the peak period of June-August, room occupancy during the week is around 60-80%, and on weekends it is almost over 90%. Last year, room occupancy was around 50-70%, and there were still rooms available on weekends. Mustgo's partners said that the number of guests this year is 2-3 times higher than the same period last year.
In Cat Ba, the situation of finding accommodation is not better than in Co To. A representative of a travel agency specializing in selling tour combos said it is almost impossible to find a room according to customers' requests if booking on the weekend.
"Now, if there are any rooms available, we have to book them right away. If we wait too long, our guests' travel plans may be affected," this person said.
A media representative of a resort in Cat Ba said they have 1,001 actual rooms but only 878 are open for sale. Since the beginning of June, room occupancy on peak days (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) has reached about 90% with 1,800 guests per day. On weekdays, occupancy fluctuates between 70-80%.
Most of the guests at this resort are large groups (47%), the rest are individual guests and family groups. Compared to June 2022, the total number of occupied rooms (OCC) has increased by nearly 13%. The number of guests in June is also about 6% higher than the same period last year. Room rates are about 7.5% higher than the same period last year.
Cat Ba beach is crowded on weekdays. Photo: Ngan Ngan
According to VnExpress , most accommodation facilities in Cat Ba have increased prices sharply compared to before summer. Some hotels have increased prices by more than 600,000 VND per room compared to the previous period.
Statistics from Mustgo also show that the difference in room rates during the week and on weekends in Cat Ba is about 30-50%. Currently, the average room rate here is about 500,000 VND to 3 million VND.
Mustgo representative said that Cat Ba tourism peak lasts from May to the end of September. The room occupancy rate during the week is 80-90% and up to 100% on weekends.
"The number of visitors to Cat Ba this summer will continue to increase and the room occupancy situation may last until the end of September. In 2022, the room occupancy situation will only last until the end of August," said a company representative.
Tu Nguyen
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