Many festivals being held to create many highlights to attract guests
Ready to provide service
According to the forecast of the tourism industry, the number of visitors to Hue during the upcoming festival week (June 25 - 30) is expected to increase sharply because it is the peak of summer tourism.
In order to prepare to welcome visitors to Hue during the Hue Festival 2022, the Department of Tourism is coordinating with relevant agencies to inspect, remind and request accommodation facilities and tourism services to enhance service quality; arrange more labor resources to best serve customers; create the impression of a unique destination in terms of culture, excitement about festivals and guaranteed service quality.
At Saigon Morin Hue Hotel, the occupancy of the registration room for the festival week has reached over 80%, especially on June 25 - 27 (the first half of the week), the registration capacity is over 90%. Having had experience from the holidays of April 30 and May 1, the Hung Kings Commemoration holiday, the hotel has made very detailed plans, from the supply and reserve of raw materials, overtime plans, and some additional services for visitors to Hue, etc.
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Director of the Department of Tourism, said that Hue Festival 2022 will have great impacts on tourism recovery activities in the area and the tourism industry. In order to thoughtfully welcome tourists and international visitors to attend the festival, the Department of Tourism has directed and guided service and tourism businesses, especially accommodation establishments to decorate and improve facilities and equipment, increase auxiliary services, provide information, and create favorable conditions for guests.
At the same time, it mobilizes travel businesses to build tour products associated with activities and events of Hue Festival; have a plan for new recruitment and professional training of human resources of the units in order to best serve tourists.
The Department of Tourism also organizes many training courses for workers in the tourism industry such as guides, drivers; local community tourism groups; coordinate with the Department of Health to organize a training course on food hygiene and safety in restaurants, ensuring a civilized, safe and friendly tourism environment to serve domestic and foreign visitors throughout the time that Hue Festival takes place.
“Recently, the recurrence of some images of inviting tourists with insistence at tourist sites, the situation of cyclos catching tourists improperly, etc., the industry has coordinated with the police agency and Hue City People's Committee to solve these problems. This will be a regular job, in order to strengthen the management and better the service business activities and the management of tourist destinations; ensure a healthy tourist environment, create peace of mind and a good impression on visitors. The industry arranges a 24/7 hotline to support tourists (0234.3501111) to receive information that needs support, and promptly handle cases related to the tourism environment in the area," said Mr. Phuc.
At peak times, there is still a situation of raising service prices without listing and making clear prices. According to businesses, the price increase in peak seasons is very normal because then the prices of many goods and services also increase. It is important to publicly list prices and not arbitrarily raise prices.
Tourism industry manager inspects accommodation facilities preparing to welcome guests during Hue Festival
Making the most of opportunities
Mr. Tran Xuan Nam, Director of Restour Limited Company, said that the business is maintaining a stable operation of a number of tours such as afternoon tea and city tour. The activities of Hue Festival 2022 mostly take place at night, during the day is a suitable time for guests to join city tours, or visit and experience services in Tam Giang lagoon, or the beaches close to Hue city. Besides, businesses are joining "alliance" to exploit food tours at night by cyclo or bicycle. This is a new tour which many tourists are interested in.
This year's Hue Festival is organized in the form of four-season festival. With activities spread throughout the months of the year, this will be the most effective form of stimulus for tourism in the current recovery process, creating opportunities for visitors to Hue at any time of the year to learn, discover and experience local cultural, artistic, landscape and culinary values.
In addition, Hue Festival 2022 is an opportunity to reactivate many tourism activities - services that have been halted after the pandemic, giving businesses more motivation and confidence to invest to maintain and develop technical facilities for tourism, recruiting more human resources.
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc said that organizing diverse events and festivals with cultural depth, exploiting the available potentials of the locality are the best forms to stimulate and meet the demand for exploring of the visitors.
Along with dozens of traditional and contemporary cultural festivals deployed by departments, sectors and localities, the tourism industry presides over organizing a series of tourism festivals spread out in every quarter of the year such as Hue Festival - the Capital City of Gastronomy, Hue Lotus Festival, Hip Hop Festival, Hue Unicorn Dance Festival, Hue Health Tourism Week - Wellness Festival, etc.,contributing to diversify festival forms, and creating more regular festive atmosphere in the times of the year.
Story and photos: Duc Quang