Vietnamese tourists love "cloud hunting" destinations
According to a survey by Tien Phong at travel agencies, this year there have not been many fluctuations and breakthroughs, mainly the rise of short-term domestic tours. Destinations such as Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Phu Quoc still dominate the domestic tourism market.
Among them, the northern mountainous destinations are of particular interest to tourists such as Ta Xua, Moc Chau (Son La), Lung Cu flagpole (Ha Giang), Cat Cat village, Fansipan peak (Lao Cai),... attracting visitors to "hunt" clouds in the sky likened to a fairyland.
Ta Xua, Sapa is one of the "cloud hunting" spots attracting visitors during the 2024 New Year. Photo: Thu Ng.
Ms. NTTH, representative of Hoa Mai Tourist travel company on Hang Non street (Hanoi), said that this New Year holiday is not too long, so tourists tend to choose domestic travel more.
"At present, we have sold about 90% of the plan. Notably, for domestic tours such as Ha Giang and Ta Xua, the number of bookings has increased sharply, double that of last year, with prices starting from only VND3 million/person. We are opening more bus routes and pick-up points to serve customer needs," Ms. NTTH added.
The poetic starry sky scene in Ta Xua (Son La province). Photo: Nguyen Thi Lien.
Similarly, Ms. PTKO, owner of Yen Binh homestay in Sapa, informed that many families booked rooms since the end of November and most of them were guests from Hanoi. The number of guests booking rooms during the New Year holiday this year increased sharply by 30% compared to previous years.
"Every year, we don't run out of rooms until close to the holiday, but this year many guests want to see the clouds and snow, so about 2 weeks before the holiday, we already have enough guests," Ms. PTKO shared.
Travel companies have noted that the number of customers registering for short-term tours to the Northwest region during the New Year holiday this year has increased sharply compared to the same period last year, with young people accounting for the majority of customers buying tours during this time.
A representative of an agency on Hang Bo Street, Hanoi shared that one of the reasons short-term domestic tours are attracting customers is that this year the tour prices for Christmas and New Year are not as high as in previous years. The reason comes from the significant decrease in gasoline prices in recent times, and tourism and travel businesses also want to use their brand image to kick off a new tourist season.
Talking to Tien Phong, NMH (living in Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi) said that this year's New Year holiday, he chose a 3-day, 2-night tour in Ta Xua (Son La province) with nearly 5 million VND with some friends.
“Looking at the photos posted on social media with scenes filled with warm sunshine and blue clouds, my friends and I made a plan to 'hunt clouds' in Ta Xua. I chose a tour instead of going on my own because the tours are designed for a moderate amount of time, with flexible itineraries, suitable for short vacations, and the destinations and services clearly demonstrate convenience," added NMH.
The trend of having breakfast and drinking coffee with a "million dollar view" is attracting young people who love to explore. Photo: Le Thi.
A travel agency in Hanoi said that coastal cities such as Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet... are also popular with tourists during this holiday, especially hotels and resorts located close to the sea.
According to statistics, room occupancy in Da Nang is expected to be at 40-60% (higher rate in coastal hotels) and in Hoi An from 85-90%. For Nha Trang, international 5-star hotels have reached 90% occupancy, Vietnamese 5-star hotels about 30%. Along with that, room occupancy in Phan Thiet reaches 45-60%.
In the 5-star hotel segment in Phu Quoc, the average room occupancy rate is over 80%, the large number of guests makes 3-4 star hotels almost fully booked. However, Vietnamese guests only account for 20% of the total number of guests booking rooms in Phu Quoc during this period.
Ski tours attract customers
In the higher-end customer segment, tourists tend to choose tours to Japan, Korea, and Europe to experience skiing. Notably, those who participate in these tours will start their vacation from before Christmas until the end of New Year's Day to have enough time to explore.
A company based in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi reported that the total number of customers during the Lunar New Year holiday showed positive signs. Notably, the number of foreign tourists increased sharply, 8 times higher than last year and 3/4 compared to the pre-pandemic period (2019). Most customers chose to go on mid-range and high-end tours to Japan, Korea, and Europe with costs ranging from 60 million VND to more than 100 million VND per person for about 10 days.
Many Vietnamese tourists have registered for winter ski tours before Christmas. Photo: Pexels.
Typically, this winter, Ms. HH chose Gangwon-do province (a 2-hour drive from Seoul) as a stopover to go sightseeing and skiing in Korea. After experiencing this sport, this female tourist felt that skiing was very interesting, challenging her patience.
"I couldn't skate the first time because my shoes were too tight. My whole body ached and I thought I would never skate again. But in the end, I still skated, continued to learn, and finally achieved my goal. When you can skate, you will feel very excited to conquer more, the feeling of winning over yourself. If you can skate, you will be very passionate about this sport and want to skate many more times," Ms. HH shared.
Skiing requires patience from tourists. Photo: Hien Hoang.
Along with that, according to statistics from Hoa Mai Tourist, the demand for going abroad to celebrate the New Year is not a breakthrough but always tends to increase. This year, European destinations are also chosen by some groups of customers to celebrate Christmas and New Year, at the same time taking advantage of the opportunity to shop during the big discount season in the West.
Meanwhile, some other travel agencies commented that tourists on foreign tours still tend to choose economical itineraries that suit their spending habits, such as the 4-5 day Bangkok - Chiang Mai (Thailand) tour for 9 million VND; the 4-day Singapore tour for 12 million VND; the 5-day Malaysia tour for 15 million VND. In addition, with a price of 8 million VND/person and easy entry procedures, many tours to Thailand, Taiwan (China), Malaysia, Cambodia... are increasingly attracting the attention of tourists.
Regarding prices, travel companies say that this year's Tet tour prices will only have slight adjustments compared to normal, increasing from 5-15% depending on the itinerary.
Source TPO
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