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| Travel businesses learn and discuss the possibility of connecting tours at Aeon Mall Hue in 2024 |
Travel is not just sightseeing
When night falls, many tourist attractions in Hue become gloomy. Areas near hotels in the city center include the Western Quarter, Aeon Mall Hue and some other nightlife spots for visitors, while in areas far from the city center, tourists have to "go to bed early" because there is nothing to do.
That is the reality that many tourists pointed out when we asked why they did not stay in Hue longer. Even for many tourists, if we were to be honest, not only at night but also during the day, Hue still lacks enough connection points to attract and keep them there. Mr. Ngo Viet Phu, from Hanoi , also a frequent traveler, analyzed: “Hue's commercial and service infrastructure is still not up to the mark. Hue lacks shopping products, entertainment services, and large-scale service facilities to serve large groups of tourists. That leads to boredom for tourists.”
In recent years, in contrast to the growth in the number of visitors, the length of stay of visitors has decreased. Excluding the period affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, in general, the trend of tourists to Hue has increased over the years and reached 3.93 million in 2024. However, the average length of stay is only 1.77 days; much lower than in the 2000s (the average is always greater than 2 days). The increasing gap between the number of tourists and visitors shows that in addition to visiting relics, entertainment and shopping activities are not attractive enough, and the service facilities are not up to standard.
In fact, Hue city's commercial infrastructure is mainly concentrated in urban areas, while rural areas are still limited. Hue's commercial infrastructure depends mainly on traditional channels such as traditional markets; in which, Dong Ba market is large enough to serve tourists. Modern forms of commerce serving tourism are very limited in development, with only 6 supermarkets and shopping centers. The system of restaurants in the area has increased rapidly in quantity and quality; but is mainly concentrated in the central urban area.
Services related to tourism are still quite modest. Although in recent years, entertainment venues, cinemas, facilities serving the needs of people for rest and relaxation have been built; walking streets, night markets associated with entertainment activities in the urban center, they still do not meet the needs of tourists. The services here are still poor, have not created a unique mark, so it is difficult to attract visitors.
According to the representative of the Tourism Association, the exploitation of sea tourism and eco-tourism is still in its infancy, spontaneous and mainly in the form of community tourism; there are too few resorts along the coast and investment is slow. Amenities and services at accommodation establishments have not received proper attention and investment, and are limited in quantity. Entertainment and beauty care services, spa services and other essential services are still limited and do not meet the high-end segment.
Nowadays, along with new trends, the travel behavior and needs of tourists have changed a lot. For tourists, travel is not only about sightseeing, but also must combine the elements of "eating and playing". This requires commercial infrastructure and services to keep up.
Let guests stay and spend money
It is impossible to stop worrying when looking at the spending figures of visitors to Hue. In 2019, the average spending of domestic visitors was 1.08 million VND/person/day; international visitors 1.91 million VND/person. In terms of spending structure, room rental and food expenses are still the main ones. Of which, room rental expenses for international visitors account for 22%, domestic visitors 15%), food and beverage expenses (international 25%, domestic 24%), travel (international 13%, domestic 26%); spending on shopping, sightseeing, entertainment, healthcare and others accounts for nearly 40%. In fact, visitors' shopping in Hue is still not much. Although around 2022 - 2024, Hue will stabilize the spending level of visitors at about 2.1 million VND/visitor, the spending level of visitors is still considered lower than the average of many localities. This requires Hue to improve service quality and promote experiential tourism to increase visitors' spending.
Director of the Department of Tourism Tran Thi Hoai Tram said that Hue has developed a tourism and service development project for the period 2025 - 2030, with a vision to 2045, which clearly identifies key tasks and solutions. In addition to forming institutions as a lever to promote tourism and service development, Hue will focus resources on investing in tourism infrastructure development, forming accommodation facilities, entertainment facilities, and high-end complex resorts, suitable for new tourism needs and trends.
The local government has also been focusing on removing bottlenecks and promoting investment, including investment in commercial infrastructure and tourism services. The city leaders, with a spirit of openness, sharing, understanding and companionship, always listen to the recommendations and proposals of businesses and investors.
Source: https://huengaynay.vn/du-lich/ha-tang-thuong-mai-dich-vu-la-cau-noi-phat-trien-du-lich-155428.html
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