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| A family from Ho Chi Minh City traveling to Hue for the National Day holiday (September 2nd) |
Choosing Hue as a holiday destination
After visiting the relic sites in Hue, the family of Mr. Ngo Hai An (Ha Tinh Province) stopped by Thuy Xuan Incense Village to experience and snap photos. Mr. An said: “During the four days of the holiday, I spent 2 days in Hue “collecting” a beautiful photo album. In Hue, every tourist destination is suitable for taking pictures, and the cost of traveling, including services, food and beverages, is not too high, so it is always a priority in my family’s choice of tourist destination.”
The trend of tourists during this year's National Day holiday is to travel independently or in family groups by private cars and trains. Many tourists want to relax and experience the local culture and nature. A quick survey shows that many tourists come from neighboring provinces to Hue to experience. In their journey, there are many destinations connecting the localities, especially Hue - Da Nang - Quang Nam, and most of them have a special affection for Hue.
Ms. Duong Thi My Lan, a tourist from Binh Dinh, shared: “I live in Quy Nhon, but I drove straight to Hue first, partly to make the way back more convenient, and partly because everyone is eager to go to Hue. My whole family has been to Hue many times, but there are still many places in Hue that have not been fully explored. It seems all members of my family immediately think of Hue when discussing travel plans during the holidays.”
Among the many guests we had the opportunity to talk to, the most impressive one was Mrs. Huynh Thi Kim (85 years old, from Ho Chi Minh City). In a wheelchair pushed by her children and grandchildren to visit the Imperial City, she was still very humorous when talking about her trip. Mrs. Kim said: “I have a lover in Hue for nearly 10 years, but it was not until I was 85 years old when I was able to be here. Hue is very beautiful, the people are lovely and the scenery is lovely, not noisy or rushed.”
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Director of the Department of Tourism of Thua Thien Hue Province, it is expected that during the 5 days from August 30th to September 3rd, the total number of tourists to Thua Thien Hue is forecast to be 120,000 (an increase of 22.4% compared to the same holiday last year), with revenue from tourism services estimated at VND 132 billion.
The number of guests staying is forecast to reach 48,000 (an increase of 31.3% compared to the holiday on September 2nd, 2023), including about 16,500 international visitors (an increase of 54.3% compared to the holiday on September 2nd, 2023). According to tourism statistics on the number of guests booking rooms before the holiday, the average room occupancy rate of hotels is about 64%. In particular, on August 31st and September 1st, the room occupancy rate of many accommodation establishments reached over 80%. Guests tend to book rooms close to the date, so the room capacity has increased compared to the actual survey before the holiday. Most hotels in the center of Hue City, coastal resorts, lagoons and waterfalls, as well as homestays in Hue City, Phu Loc District and A Luoi District are almost full of guests booking rooms for the two days 31/8 and 1/9.
Bringing satisfaction to tourists
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc shared that agencies and businesses had stimulus policies suitable for each unit in order to stimulate tourism and attract tourists. In particular, during the National Day holiday of September 2nd, from August 29th to September 3rd, Vietnam Railways Corporation also has a policy of reducing ticket prices for groups and individuals, so the number of tourists traveling by train to and from Hue will increase sharply. Vietnam Railways Corporation also plans to welcome about 13,000 passengers arriving and departing at Hue Station, with about 3,500 passengers registering to travel on the Connecting Central Heritage Hue - Da Nang train route during the holiday. On August 31st and September 2nd, the trains on this route were full. In addition, Phu Bai International Airport plans to welcome 330 flights arriving and departing, transporting about 59,400 passengers.
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| A young couple from outside the province wearing Hue souvenir shirts to capture beautiful moments when traveling to the Ancient Capital |
To serve tourists and bring interesting experiences during the holiday, units also have special policies and organize many activities for tourists to experience. Mr. Phuc cited that, typically, Vietnamese tourists and local people would be exempted from tickets when visiting Hue relic sites on September 2nd, 2024. The locality also organizes a number of cultural and sports activities to serve the local community and tourists, namely the 5th “Hue Jogging - Running Together For the Community" program from the morning of September 1st, 2024 at the Provincial Administrative Urban Area Square, the Traditional Provincial Boat Race on the Perfume River on the morning of September 2nd, and art performances on the Imperial Citadel walking street on weekend nights.
Plans to sell tickets and regulate visitors at crowded tourist spots as well as arrange art performances and services to serve visitors at the relic sites under the management of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center are also prepared. Resort hotels in the Province all have on-site culinary experiences and local traditional handicraft products for visitors.
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| Many foreign tourists also visiting Hue on the occasion of September 2nd |
According to Ms. Le Thi Them, Head of the Department of Culture and Information of A Luoi District, on the occasion of the National Day of September 2nd this year, many tourism activities were organized in A Luoi, with the desire to attract tourists to the land on the majestic Truong Son Mountain Range and have experiences with the special tourism practices of the people in the mountainous region. In particular, there is a periodic market during the holiday from 6pm on August 30th to 11pm on September 2nd for people and tourists to experience the culture and shop for highland products.
Mr. Do Ngoc Co, Chairman of the Provincial Tourism Association, said that travel agencies all focused on perfecting tourism products and tours during the holiday to serve tourists in the most dedicated and thoughtful manner. Depending on the needs of tourists, businesses provide tours that suit the schedule and experiences that tourists like, with costs not much higher than normal days. In particular, what businesses concentrate on is improving service quality, aiming for the highest satisfaction when tourists come to Hue to experience.