Many Northern tourist destinations are "sold out" of rooms, prices have doubled

Panorama of Cat Ba Island

According to many travel agencies, road tourism products are widely chosen by domestic tourists on April 30 to avoid high airfares. In the North, Cat Ba, Sa Pa, Ha Long or Ninh Binh promise to attract visitors, some places are likely to be fully booked during the "hottest" days of the holiday (from April 27 to 30).

According to a reporter's survey On April 24, April 27-29, the number of hotel rooms in Sa Pa was still low. Ms. Hoang Thi Vuong, Head of Sa Pa Culture and Information Department, said that the room occupancy rate in Sa Pa reached 80%.

In Hanoi, homestays and villas in the suburbs are "sold out". Anbooking, which manages more than 70 villas and homestays around Hanoi, said the occupancy rate on April 30 and May 1 was over 80%, and April 27 and 28 are increasing rapidly. The unit said that the 5-day holiday was announced late, so the suburbs of Hanoi have attracted early interest from customers. Holiday prices are equivalent to weekend prices, while April 27 and 28 are better.

Data from Mustgo, a hotel booking platform that is cooperating with 80 resorts and hotels, mainly 3-star, shows that the occupancy rate in Cat Ba on April 28 and 29 reached over 90%, and high-class rooms are difficult to access. Mustgo representative forecasts With the trend of "last minute booking" every year, April 27 and 30 will soon be sold out. A representative of Flamingo Cat Ba resort also informed that all rooms for the April 30 holiday have been sold out, with an occupancy rate of about 90% during peak days. Room prices during the holiday at this facility also increased by 30% compared to normal days.

On online booking applications, many hotels in Cat Ba are reported by the system as "selling well" and have few rooms left. A hotel in the central area of ​​Cat Ba currently has a room with two large beds, priced at 1.2 million VND per night. Next weekend (May 3-5), the price will be reduced to 900,000 VND per night. On weekdays, the price is around 750,000 VND per night for a similar room type.

In the center of Ha Long city, April 27-29 is the "hottest" day because it is during the Ha Long Carnival 2024 and most hotels charge surcharges for the holiday. Mr. Bui Thanh Tu, Marketing Director of Best Price, said that Ha Long cruise tour products during the holiday have been fully booked since the beginning of April, proving the great attraction of this type of resort. 80% of the company's guests are domestic guests, 20% are foreign guests.

Director of Ninh Binh Department of Tourism Bui Van Manh said that the occupancy rate in Ninh Binh city and areas near popular tourist destinations such as Trang An and Bai Dinh during the 5-day holiday reached over 90%. Many large hotels were 100% full many days ago due to high demand.

"I booked a room for my family for two nights on April 29-30, but all the rooms were fully booked," Ngoc Lan, 30, from Hanoi, shared when booking a room in Ninh Binh. Lan said she will "learn from experience" next year to book a month earlier to have more options.

On the Booking app, 4-5 star hotels located 4-7 km from the city center still have rooms but the number is limited. High-end homestays with prices from one million VND and up also have similar occupancy rates. Mid-range accommodations with room rates of around 500,000 - 600,000 VND have more rooms but not significantly.

Cuc Phuong "is basically full from April 27 to 30," said Mr. Do Hong Hai, representative of Cuc Phuong National Park. The park has nearly 100 rooms for tourists and 7 communal stilt houses. Room rates during holidays and weekends range from 400,000 to 1 million VND. Tourists can camp and sleep at local houses, at a price of 50,000-100,000 VND per person when all rooms are full and with the center's approval.

Tam Coc, Ninh Binh seen from above

Due to the situation of increasing number of visitors as the holiday approaches and the weak service supply, some companies have closed Dien Bien tours early, nearly a month in advance. Mr. Pham Anh Vu, Director of Communications for Vietnam Tourism, said that the number of visitors is twice as high as the same period last year. Since April 18, the company has stopped accepting more visitors because the tours have been sold out, although the number of inquiries is still high, mainly due to the inability to book more rooms.

Vietluxtour recorded a 40% increase in visitors compared to the same period last year, mainly from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. The company closed the Dien Bien tour in early April, although interest was still high. The unit was also unable to import more room services because there were no more rooms available.

Mr. Pham Van Thang - Head of the Tourism Department, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dien Bien - confirmed that the city only has a few rooms left during the holidays and the 70th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory. Despite the shortage of rooms, accommodation establishments must clearly list their prices. According to the reporter's records, tourists are currently having difficulty finding rooms in hotels in the city center if they travel in large groups (about 10 people), it is easier to find rooms if they travel in small groups.

Currently, the houses that have been added as temporary accommodation facilities around Dien Bien City are still accepting guests at a price of about 500,000 VND per night for a private room and about 150,000 VND per person for a stilt house. Ms. Ca Thi Duong, the owner of the stilt house in Pa Pe village, said that the stilt house was fully booked on May 4-6, with a few vacancies on May 7, and still accepting guests during the April 30 holiday. Visitors can refer to the list of guesthouses on the website of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dien Bien province.

Room price 500,000 VND per night of a coffee shop business near 7/5 square, Dien Bien

Due to high demand, most 3-4 star hotels have applied holiday surcharges and increased prices by 20-30%. However, the group of motels and low-star hotels recorded a price increase of nearly double.

On April 22, Van Thinh, a tourist from Hanoi, searched for a room in Cat Ba for April 28-30 on several online booking channels for his family of three. He said the room rate in the central area was over one million VND per night, and the service was not remarkable. However, Thinh still booked a room because he was "going on a holiday".

Another 3-star hotel in Cat Ba is selling a room with two large double beds for 1.2 million VND per night during the holiday, and the price will be reduced to 500,000 VND next weekend. Many motels are also offering guests a price of about 700,000 VND per night during the holiday, while the price is about 300,000-400,000 VND on weekdays.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Hoang Tuan Anh, Permanent Vice President of Hai Phong Tourism Association, said it is difficult to control the "unreasonable" price increases of small hotels and motels. Customers do not plan in advance, rent rooms upon arrival and have to accept high prices. That is "an agreement between both parties". Large hotels often sign contracts with partners early, proactively announce prices and do not increase prices too much.

The Lao Cai Provincial Department of Tourism has requested relevant agencies to strengthen inspection and management of tourism activities before, during and after the holiday, especially the public posting of prices, selling at the correct listed prices and price stabilization. The province has also established a team to inspect tourism business activities from April 15 to May 2, in order to promptly handle violations.

Director of Ninh Binh Department of Tourism, Bui Van Manh, also said that he will conduct inspections in advance, during the April 30 holiday, to ensure service quality, price listing, selling according to listed prices and legal regulations. With the current room occupancy rate, Mr. Manh expects Ninh Binh to welcome 550,000 visitors (45,000 international visitors) during the holiday, an increase of more than 60% over the same period. Revenue during this year's holiday is estimated at 520 billion VND, nearly 1.5 times higher than in 2023.

TB (according to VnExpress)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/nhieu-diem-du-lich-phia-bac-chay-phong-gia-tang-gap-doi-379933.html