Kinhtedothi- Storm No. 3 (Yagi) has caused heavy losses in human lives, property and socio-economic infrastructure, especially agricultural production, services and tourism activities in Lao Cai province.
Given this situation and the complex developments of natural disasters, storms and floods that are forecast to last until the end of 2024, the tourism industry in Lao Cai province is facing the risk of not completing its annual plan targets. It is expected that the province will welcome about 7.5 million visitors throughout the year (the plan for 2024 is 8.5 million).
The tourism industry has been hit hard.
The circulation of storm No. 3 in the province caused landslides on traffic routes, especially routes connecting localities (National Highway 4, 4D, 4E, 279) and routes leading to tourist destinations, causing local congestion, making it difficult for tourists to travel. Heavy rain also caused many telecommunication poles to break and fall, disrupting and disabling communications, making it difficult to contact and seek support.
The province’s key tourist destinations such as Sa Pa, Bat Xat, Bao Yen and Bac Ha are all located in areas severely affected by natural disasters. Many tourist destinations, especially those located on mountain slopes, next to waterfalls and along streams and creeks, have been forced to temporarily suspend operations (for example, Nghia Do commune’s community tourism was flooded). Trekking routes that are popular with international tourists have also been suspended due to safety concerns.
A large number of tourists were stranded in the province due to landslides, unable to leave. Large-scale cultural and tourism events such as the Sa Pa Full Moon Festival, the "Conquering Lao Than Peak" Mountain Climbing Race, the "Walking in the Sea of Clouds - LCC8" Mountain Bike Race, and the "Discovering the Ancient Stone Road of Pa Vie" Running Race were all canceled. The 2024 VMM was also postponed.
Businesses face many difficulties
Tourism businesses, which had just begun to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, were hit hard by the third storm. Since the storm hit, most tourism businesses have had to suspend operations. 90% of tourists canceled their tours and rooms in September, and the number of visitors to Sa Pa and Lao Cai in general is forecast to continue to decline sharply until the end of this month.
As of 3:00 p.m. on September 14, 2024, the storm's circulation had caused landslides on 80% of the traffic routes in Sa Pa town, seriously disrupting travel. Heavy rains caused telecommunication poles to collapse, disrupting communications and causing difficulties for tourists. Tourist areas and attractions in Sa Pa town had to temporarily suspend operations from September 8 to September 13.
Although the central area of Sa Pa town does not restrict tourism activities, the number of tourists using the service is still low because the route connecting Sa Pa and tourist centers in the region (especially Hanoi) and neighboring areas is affected.
Concerns about safety, along with images of natural disasters such as storms and floods, have made tourists hesitant to travel to landslide-prone areas such as Lao Cai. Revenue from tourism businesses in September is expected to decrease by up to 80% compared to the same period in 2023, leading to difficulties in paying expenses such as rent, bank interest, employee salaries, electricity and water, etc. The total initial loss of tourism businesses in the three localities is about 15 billion VND. It is estimated that total revenue from tourism in the last 3 months of the year will decrease by about 2,400 billion VND, a decrease of more than 1 million visitors.
Tourism indicators stagnated
During the period affected by storm No. 3, the number of tourists in Lao Cai province decreased sharply by 72% compared to the previous week. Accumulated to September 19, it is estimated to reach 6.3 million visitors, of which domestic tourists are 5.7 million, international tourists are 615,660, reaching 75.20% compared to the plan for 2024.
With the characteristics of being a synthetic economic sector and being affected by many other sectors, tourism activities are not only affected at the present time but also affect activities in the fourth quarter of 2024, even until the end of 2025.
These severe damages pose many challenges to the tourism industry in Lao Cai province, and specific solutions are also needed to restore activities after the impact of the recent rain and storm.
(to be continued)
Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/bai-1-nganh-du-lich-tinh-lao-cai-bi-anh-huong-nang-ne-boi-mua-lu.html
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