International visitors experience tourism in Hue

The problem of quantity and quality

Despite the encouraging growth in the number of visitors, the average spending of visitors to Hue is still a concern. A small comparison shows that Hue tourism in relation to other localities in the Central region has a significant difference.

In 2024, the average spending of visitors in Hue will reach about 2.1 million VND/person, significantly lower than in Da Nang (about 4.2 million VND/person) and Quang Nam (about 4.5 million VND/person). Besides the fact that Hue's tourism and shopping products and services are not attractive enough for visitors to spend, another reason pointed out by tourism professionals is that attracting high-end visitors to Hue is still quite modest.

Looking at the number of cruise ship passengers - considered luxury passengers after disembarking from Chan May port, picked up by buses with license plate number 43 to Da Nang and Hoi An, we feel sorry for Hue. Or recently, Indian and Halal tourists are potential customers with high spending levels, but they have been to many other localities; their presence in Hue has not really left an impression.

A representative of a tourism business in Hue affirmed that between serving 100 tourists and earning 100 million VND and serving 50 tourists and earning 100 million VND, tourism businesses always want to aim for the second option. The reason is that serving fewer tourists but with high profits helps tourism businesses focus on better service and will save on additional costs. Besides, it is also convenient for long-term maintenance of facilities.

According to some travel companies, attracting and growing the number of visitors is a good thing. However, the number will not mean much if they come and spend very little on tourism activities. In other words, the index of tourism revenue, spending level, and long-term stay are still more important than the number of visitors.

Mr. Dinh Manh Thang, Vice President of Vietnam Tourism Association, President of Hue City Tourism Association, is concerned: "In addition to paying attention to increasing the number of visitors, Hue tourism must find a way to attract spending from tourists. To have high-class visitors, there must be high-class services and high-class investors. This is also the desire of Hue tourism but it is still lacking."

How to attract high-end customers?

This is an issue of concern to local authorities, the tourism industry and businesses. In its tourism development strategy, Hue has paid attention to high-end tourists with high spending levels. In fact, Hue has oriented its product development, paying attention to cruise tourists, golf tourists, MICE tourists and many other types of tourism that are of interest to high-end tourists. However, there is still much to be done to attract high-end tourists.

A study by Oxford Economics (a leading independent economic consultancy in the world, based in Oxford, UK) shows that high-end customers are interested in unique, highly competitive service quality, popular destinations in the world. In the culinary field alone, tourists are willing to pay an additional 10% service fee for high-end services.

Hue has great potential to become a quality tourist destination with many unique natural and cultural resources and special cuisine. In addition to maintaining and developing traditional tourist markets, Hue tourism needs to have a roadmap and shift to developing high-end tourism to attract high-spending customers. With the culinary advantage alone, if there is a systematic investment, from building stories to spreading the meaning and value of Vietnamese cuisine to international friends more widely and deeply, high-end tourists will also come to Hue more.

Mr. Truong Thanh Minh, Director of the Tourism Promotion Information Center, said that it is necessary to promote market research, grasp the needs of high-end tourists; invest in developing high-end tourism products, focusing on unique factors, harmony with nature and the environment in products and experience services; upgrade service quality in a professional direction, bringing complete experiences to high-end tourists; focus on training and improving the quality of human resources serving high-end tourists.

Director of the Department of Tourism Tran Thi Hoai Tram said that in the development strategy, Hue will focus on investing in building high-end shopping centers, entertainment services; Hue cuisine and cultural and artistic performances in Chan May port area and surrounding areas to serve cruise tourists. In addition, focusing on investment resources to develop a number of tourist clusters, high-end sea resort centers with brands in the international tourism market.

In the context that the entire tourism industry is aiming to become a spearhead economic sector according to Resolution No. 08-NQ/TW dated January 16, 2017 of the Politburo, focusing on developing high-quality tourism, attracting high-spending tourists is considered one of the breakthrough solutions for the tourism industry to achieve the set goals. Efforts from local authorities and the tourism industry alone are not enough, but need more support from businesses and investors, especially in the high-end service and accommodation sectors that Hue still lacks. A strategy can be realized by investing in appropriate mechanisms and policies and a great determination to develop tourism to its full potential.

Article and photos: HUU PHUC

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/du-lich/giai-phap-de-thu-hut-khach-du-lich-cao-cap-156275.html