Don't follow the seasonality in tourism

The number of tickets sold to visit Hoi An Ancient Town during the April 30 - May 1 holiday is only equivalent to normal days. Photo: QT

Not superior to usual

According to statistics from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, during the April 30 - May 1 holiday, Quang Nam welcomed more than 230,000 visitors with tourism revenue of about 600 billion VND.

However, looking at some statistics of other provinces and cities, we can see that this number is still quite modest compared to the top. There are 7 localities with tourism revenue of more than 1 trillion VND during this holiday, including Thanh Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Nghe An, Da Nang and Khanh Hoa.

Aside from the annual presence of the nation's top tourist destinations, it's worth noting that a few destinations on this list may come as a surprise to many.

But it must also be recognized that these destinations have made good use of their unique advantages to attract seasonal visitors, especially during major holidays, attracting even up to a million visitors in just a few days, while other times of the year it is difficult to create a breakthrough.

Returning to Quang Nam, with the goal of welcoming 7.6 million visitors in 2024, more than 230,000 visitors during the April 30 - May 1 holiday can be seen as a normal number like other occasions of the year, even down 5% compared to the same period.

International visitors regularly account for more than 95% of the structure of visitors to My Son Temple Complex. Photo: QT

To reach 7.6 million visitors in 2024, the province will receive an average of more than 20,000 visitors per day; while on average during the recent holiday, Quang Nam received less than 50,000 visitors per day, mainly from within the province and neighboring areas.

Statistics from the Hoi An City Center for Culture, Sports and Tourism also show that during the recent holiday, the unit sold about 5,500 tickets per day, equivalent to other normal days of the year. Therefore, in general, the number of visitors and accommodation in Hoi An did not have a big breakthrough compared to other times of the year.

Persistently building sustainable destinations

According to statistics from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the encouraging sign during the recent April 30 - May 1 holiday is that although the number of visitors decreased by 13% compared to the same period, the number of guests staying increased by 16%; of which international guests increased by 30%.

The indicators once again show that international visitors to Quang Nam still outnumber domestic visitors. In the first 4 months of 2024, Quang Nam welcomed 1.4 million international visitors and nearly 1 million domestic visitors.

During the April 30 - May 1 holiday, the international market also accounted for 57% of the tourist structure and 55% of the guests staying in Quang Nam. Even at a special destination like My Son Temple Complex (Duy Xuyen), the international tourist structure completely dominated, accounting for more than 95% of the total number of visitors to this heritage.

Thus, after a period of being heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the structure of Quang Nam's tourist market is gradually returning to its old trajectory and faster than forecasted for several years with international visitors slightly higher (accounting for about 55 - 60% of the total tourist structure).

The above data is not intended to differentiate the tourist market but once again proves that Quang Nam is a very special destination because very few localities in the country have a larger international tourist structure than domestic tourists.

Mixed reviews from tourist markets about Quang Nam destinations, especially Hoi An, in recent times are inevitable because it is very difficult for a destination to accommodate and satisfy all tourists, as perceived by the leaders of Hoi An City People's Committee.

Quang Nam tourism can hardly compete seasonally with other destinations, but needs to focus on exploiting its own unique advantages to increase its appeal and become a sustainable destination. Photo: QT

Mr. Nguyen Van Son - Chairman of Hoi An City People's Committee said that with the characteristics of an ancient urban area, it is impossible to turn the central area of Hoi An into an entertainment area.

Hoi An is still trying to innovate and organize more products to contribute to honoring the heritage, but it cannot require the old town to organize many types of services to meet the needs of all tourists.

It can be said that Quang Nam tourism is difficult to compete seasonally with some other destinations. Accordingly, it is necessary to focus on exploiting its unique advantages to enhance its appeal, become a sustainable destination, a favorite destination for high-quality, high-spending tourists who love unique experiences of nature and culture.

Over the past time, Hoi An and some neighboring destinations have become the places to visit and relax for world sports and film stars. Quantity is important, but quality of visitors is the leading factor that Quang Nam tourism needs to position itself, aiming towards a high-class green tourism destination as planned by the province.

As shared by a representative of the Quang Nam Tourism Association during a domestic tourism stimulus campaign while the COVID-19 pandemic has not yet ended: "Quang Nam tourism workers do not discriminate against any tourist market but always welcome all kind and responsible tourists and create a sustainable trip when coming to Quang Nam".

Source