Local tourism 'reaps' during the holiday season

During the National Day holiday on September 2 this year (from August 30 to September 2), tourism in many localities continued to flourish with an increase in the number of visitors and high revenue.

Sa Pa ( Lao Cai ) is almost full

Performing arts and panpipe dancing activities for tourists in Sa Pa.

According to Tran Son Binh, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lao Cai province, during the National Day holiday, the province is expected to welcome 227,898 visitors, an increase of 16% over the same period in 2024. Key tourist destinations such as Sa Pa, Bac Ha, Mu Cang Chai and Suoi Giang all attracted a large number of visitors. Of which, Sa Pa was the leading locality with 109,490 visitors (international visitors reached 6,932, domestic visitors reached 102,558).

The room occupancy rate at accommodation establishments in Lao Cai province is estimated at over 62%. Of which, Sa Pa town has a room occupancy rate of about 98% for the 3-star and above segments; the mid-range segment is about 82%, and homestay businesses are about 85%.

During the 4-day holiday, total tourism revenue in Lao Cai reached about 702 billion VND, of which revenue from international visitors was estimated at about 41 billion VND, domestic visitors reached 661 billion VND. The whole province recorded 2,415 arrivals with passports from 18 nationalities and 3,467 arrivals with passports from 17 nationalities; 39,514 arrivals with passports exited and entered the country via Lao Cai International Border Gate.

This positive result was achieved thanks to the proactiveness of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in issuing guiding documents, preparing conditions for serving tourists; at the same time strengthening management, improving the effectiveness of tourism development. In particular, the timely direction of the provincial People's Committee, along with the close coordination of local authorities, the Tourism Association and accommodation establishments and tourist attractions have helped Lao Cai tourism operate stably and safely during the holiday.

Accommodation and food service establishments in the area have performed well in their service, ensuring food hygiene and safety, without any cases of poisoning, price increases or price gouging. Security and order have been well maintained, with no negative feedback through the hotline during the holiday.

To turn tourism into a spearhead economic sector, Lao Cai province aims to become the leading attractive destination in the Northern mountainous region by 2025, and be in the top 10 most favorite tourist destinations in Vietnam; focusing on building the Sa Pa National Tourist Area with rich identity, modernity, meeting ASEAN tourism standards.

To realize the goal, the province focuses on strengthening state management of tourism activities; encouraging and supporting organizations and individuals to invest in developing strong tourism products, especially in key tourism areas including: community tourism products associated with learning about indigenous culture, eco-tourism, spiritual tourism, and adventure tourism.

An Giang: Diversifying tourism stimulus activities

Tourists experience SUP paddling and diving for seafood on the shores of the Pirate Islands.

During the 4-day National Day holiday, An Giang province is estimated to welcome 385,276 visitors, up 4.4% over the same period in 2024, including 18,090 international visitors, up 14.6%. Total tourism revenue reached VND511 billion, up 44.2%.

Many key tourist destinations of the province such as Ha Tien, Vinh Te, Kien Luong, Sam Mountain, Cam Mountain, Tra Su Melaleuca Forest, Tuc Dup Hill, Phu Quoc, Hon Son, Nam Du, Tien Hai, etc. all attract a large number of tourists. Phu Quoc alone welcomed more than 81,490 visitors, including nearly 18,000 international visitors, an increase of 15.7%.

The province has proactively prepared the best conditions to welcome and serve tourists. Tourism businesses have implemented many stimulus programs, diversified experiences, developed new products, increased promotion and product introduction to attract tourists. Service businesses strictly implemented legal regulations, ensured environmental hygiene, food safety, security and order, proactively inspected and improved service quality, and prevented the occurrence of solicitation and price gouging.

Deputy Director of An Giang Department of Tourism Nguyen Viet Thong said that the Department coordinated with localities to conduct field inspections at key tourist areas, thereby guiding and reminding businesses to arrange adequate human resources to serve; set up a hotline to promptly support and handle tourists' feedback.

However, during the holidays, rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds due to the impact of storm No. 5 and the tropical depression have somewhat affected outdoor and marine tourism and entertainment activities in the area. In addition, competition from other destinations with new tourism products and more convenient transport infrastructure is also a challenge for An Giang tourism. However, the province still sets a target of welcoming more than 21 million visitors in 2025, including more than 1.2 million international visitors. Total revenue is expected to reach VND 39,300 billion.

In the first 8 months of 2025, the province welcomed more than 18.2 million visitors, an increase of 17.4% over the same period. Total tourism revenue reached VND 47,669 billion, an increase of 76% over the same period in 2024, exceeding the annual plan by 21.3%.

The leaders of An Giang Department of Tourism said that the last months of 2025 are considered the "golden time" for tourism to make a strong breakthrough. The province will increase promotion at international tourism fairs to introduce An Giang destinations, promote digital communications, cooperate with travel agencies to build tours, and at the same time innovate products, exploit new destinations, organize traditional festivals, and develop experiential tourism. An Giang also focuses on surveying and selecting potential locations to invest in exploiting agricultural, ecological and community tourism.

The province continues to improve service quality, assess and rank accommodation establishments, issue travel licenses and tour guide cards; train professional tourism human resources, especially communication skills with international guests; check the conditions of facilities, ensure safety during the rainy and stormy season, especially for marine and island ecotourism.

In the stimulus plan, An Giang will organize many large-scale cultural and tourism events such as the Tourism and Cuisine Festival combined with the Trade Promotion Fair - OCOP Rach Gia 2025; Southern Folk Cake Festival - An Giang 2025. The province continues to implement the tourism development linkage program between Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces and cities of the Mekong Delta; actively calling for investment in eco-tourism, resorts, cultural areas... to diversify products and enhance competitiveness.

baotintuc.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/du-lich-cac-dia-phuong-boi-thu-trong-ky-nghi-le-post881223.html