Tourists tend to prefer homestay experiences

Tourists love homestays, crave experiences

Having just returned from a trip to Lien village (Lao Cai), Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan ( Hanoi ) shared that she had very new and interesting experiences that no other trip had, which left her, her husband and children very impressed after returning home.

Experience catching stream fish when traveling in Lien village.

"The cultural characteristics of the Tay people with stilt houses by the stream, typical dishes of the highlands and also very interesting experiences, the people here are happy, enthusiastic, the children are very bold so it is very fun, coming here for a while, we took a group of children to pick flowers, catch fish, poke persimmons. We got to catch stream fish, grill fish, grill chicken, go see tea picking, make sticky rice, pound cakes... Everything was very fun, and the trip only cost 2 million VND", Ms. Loan shared.

No longer chasing after luxurious resorts, no longer just aiming for "thousand-like" photos, many people now want to live like locals, eat food cooked by the host, experience tea picking, weaving, or even go to the fields.

Once a beach-loving tourist, staying at many 5-star hotels with full amenities, this summer, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Lan ( Ha Tinh ) unexpectedly chose a different summer vacation.

Ms. Lan said that after watching the reality TV show "Haha Family", she and her two close friends were very excited to go to the highlands to experience tourism. Therefore, they booked a 3-day, 2-night trip to a tourist area in Tram Tau (formerly Yen Bai, now Lao Cai) to live in harmony with nature and sleep in a stilt house.

"I used to go to many places to take "virtual life" photos. But after watching TV shows, seeing trips to live like a local, experiencing everything, I just want to sleep in a local's house, sit on the steps, drink a cup of hot tea, listen to the rooster crowing in the morning and watch the terraced fields. That feeling is so peaceful," said Ms. Huong Lan.

Keeping the original identity is the factor that attracts customers

Changes in tourists' psychology and needs are one of the things that homestay owners and service providers in the highlands are aiming for.

Instead of building spacious, convenient, beautiful and magnificent resorts, many newly built homestays now tend to prioritize spaces that retain traditional architectural and living identities, preserving the inherent countryside features.

Ms. Phung Thi Thao Nhung, who owns 2 homestays (32 rooms) in Sung Trai commune (Ha Giang), said that to build them successfully, she spent a lot of money, time and effort.

Ms. Nhung's homestay is built with traditional architecture, closely associated with local culture.

"When I built the tourist area in Sung Trai commune, I chose the Ecolodge model (natural ecological resort), because this area is full of local people, while visitors come to Ha Giang for the culture and nature. If I built a hotel like in the lowlands, it would not be suitable and would only sell for 300 - 400 thousand VND/room, so I would only earn 5 - 6 million VND per homestay if the rooms were full," said Ms. Nhung.

Therefore, when building a high-standard Ecolodge with a variety of rooms in harmony with nature, Ms. Nhung said that she was able to sell the service at a price 4-13 times higher than the average.

Currently, with the association with the travel agency, 80% of Ms. Nhung's tourists come from here, the remaining 20% are connected through advertising tools and most of the time, the number of guests filling the rooms is high.

According to Ms. Nhung, many people think that investing in a homestay means building something beautiful, big, and magnificent, and then guests will naturally "come". But many houses cost tens of billions of VND, but the room price is only 500 - 600 thousand VND/night. With low occupancy and high costs, doing a homestay like that is more of a loss than saving money in the bank.

"In tourism, especially with small accommodation models, real-life experiences are more important than anything else. A beautiful design for taking pictures is just the surface. A design that sells well, operates smoothly, and retains customers for a long time is the core. A style that preserves culture close to nature and local architecture will be more suitable and have a more sustainable brand," Ms. Nhung shared.

Ms. Pham Ngoc Anh, an expert in the accommodation industry, a marketing consultant for accommodation units, and the founder of the Staymazing website, commented that there is a shift in trends and psychology of tourists that many homestay owners are not yet aware of.

Tourists are gradually looking for spaces that are built and designed with strong local identity to experience.

"This summer, the birth and popularity of the reality show "Haha Family" has turned Lien village (Lao Cai) into a "popular" tourist destination. The family of Mr. Ha and Ms. Thong in Lien village, who appeared on the show, announced that they were fully booked by the end of July, even though it was not yet the best season. But that is not just the effect of a TV show, it is a sign of a shift in tourist demand," said Ms. Anh.

According to Ms. Anh, from "check-in tourism", many people now crave experiential tourism. From checking out "hot" locations, many people are searching for and focusing on experiential trips and meaningful moments. In addition, from the habit of traveling far away several times a year, the appeal of short vacations with close distances is increasing.

Tourists today are a complex mix of needs: They want to explore new destinations, like a sense of familiarity, want a free schedule, like convenient service packages, are cost-sensitive, and are willing to spend on worthwhile add-on services.

Therefore, Ms. Anh believes that this is opening up countless opportunities to sell additional services, optimizing revenue. There will come a time when "only selling bedrooms" cannot help homestays develop further, instead, local experience services such as working with local people, going to the forest, going to the fields, even cutting grass, planting rice... can also "make money".

At a meeting with tourism businesses to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam Tourism on the afternoon of July 9, Mr. Nong Viet Yen, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lao Cai province, said that the area has over 2,200 accommodation establishments; 35 tourist areas and spots along with thousands of establishments providing services, entertainment, souvenirs, etc.

In particular, accommodation facilities such as homestays are being given priority by the provincial tourism industry to develop, helping people have more income, develop tourism and preserve unique traditional cultural features.

In the coming time, Lao Cai will focus on developing sustainable tourism, associated with preserving nature and local culture, improving the quality and diversifying tourism products.

baoxaydung.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/khach-du-lich-co-xu-huong-thich-trai-nghiem-voi-homestay-post648460.html