Vietnamese people flock to go skiing and "cloud hunting" during the New Year

TPO - This year's New Year is adjacent to the weekend, people have a 3-day holiday continuously from December 30, 2023 to January 1, 2024. With such a short vacation, most tourists tend to choose short domestic and regional tours.

TPO - This year's New Year is adjacent to the weekend, people have a 3-day holiday continuously from December 30, 2023 to January 1, 2024. With such a short vacation, most tourists tend to choose short domestic and regional tours.

Vietnamese tourists prefer "cloud hunting" destinations

According to a survey by Pioneer at travel and tourism companies, this year there are not many fluctuations and breakthroughs, mainly still the rise of short-term domestic tours. Destinations such as Lao Cai, Ha Giang, and Phu Quoc still dominate the domestic tourism market.

Among them, destinations in the Northern mountainous region are of particular interest to tourists such as Ta Xua, Moc Chau (Son La), Lung Cu flagpole (Ha Giang), Cat Cat village, Fansipan peak (Lao Cai), etc. attracts tourists to "hunt" for clouds in a sky that is likened to a fairyland.

Ta Xua, Sapa is one of the "cloud hunting" destinations that attracts tourists during the 2024 New Year. Photo: Thu Ng.

Ms. N.T.T.H, representative of Hoa Mai Tourist travel company on Hang Non street (Hanoi), said that this New Year holiday is not too long, so tourists tend to choose more domestic travel.

"At the moment, we have sold about 90% of the plan. Notably, for domestic tours such as Ha Giang and Ta Xua, the number of tour bookings increased sharply, doubling. times compared to last year, with prices starting from only 3 million VND/person. We are opening more bus routes and pick-up points to serve customers' needs," Ms. N.T.T.H added.

The poetic scene of the starry sky in Ta Xua (Son La province). Photo: Nguyen Thi Lien.

Similarly, Ms. P.T.K.O, owner of Yen Binh homestay in Sapa, informed that many families booked rooms at the end of November and most of them were guests from Hanoi. The number of guests booking rooms for this year's New Year increased sharply by 30% compared to previous years.

"Every year we have to wait until close to the date before we run out of rooms, but this year many guests want to watch the clouds and snow, so about 2 weeks before the holiday, we have received enough guests," Ms. P.T.K.O shared.

Travel companies have noted that the number of visitors registering for short-term tours in the Northwest region during this year's New Year increased more strongly than the same period last year, in which young people make up the majority of visitors. Buy a tour on this occasion.

A representative of an agent on Hang Bo Street, Hanoi shared that one of the reasons why short-term domestic tours attract customers is that this year's tour prices for Christmas and New Year are not high compared to the same period in previous years. The reason comes from the significant decrease in gasoline prices in recent times, and travel and tourism businesses also want to use brand image to launch a new tourist season.

Talking with Tien Phong, N.M.H (residing in Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi) said that this year's New Year holiday, you chose a 3-day, 2-night tour in Ta Xua (Son La province) with the number nearly 5 million VND with some friends.

"Looking at the photos posted on social networks with the scenery filled with warm sunshine and blue clouds, my group of friends and I made a determined plan to 'hunt clouds' in Ta Xua. I choose tours instead of going on my own because the tours are designed in a reasonable amount of time, the itinerary is flexible, suitable for short vacations, and the destinations and services clearly demonstrate convenience," you said. N.M.H added.

The trend of having breakfast and drinking coffee at the "million dollar view" is attracting young people who like to explore. Photo: Le Thi.

A travel business in Hanoi said that coastal cities such as Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet... are also popular with tourists during this vacation, especially hotels and resorts located close to them. sea.

According to statistics, room capacity in Da Nang is expected to be at 40-60% (coastal hotels have a higher rate) and in Hoi An from 85-90%. For Nha Trang, international 5-star hotels have reached 90% capacity, Vietnamese 5-star hotels are about 30%. Along with that, room capacity in Phan Thiet reached 45-60%.

In the 5-star hotel segment in Phu Quoc, the average room occupancy rate is over 80%, and the large number of guests causes 3-4 star hotels to almost run out of rooms. However, Vietnamese guests only account for 20% of the total number of guests booking rooms in Phu Quoc during this period.

Ski tours "attract" customers

In the higher-end customer segment, tourists tend to choose tours to Japan, Korea, and Europe to experience skiing. Notably, participants in this tour will start their vacation from before Christmas until the end of New Year to have enough time to explore.

A business headquartered in Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi reported that the total number of visitors to his company during the New Year had positive signs. Notably, foreign tourists increased sharply, 8 times higher than last year and 3/4 compared to the pre-epidemic period (2019). Most guests choose to go on mid- and high-end tours to Japan, Korea, and Europe with costs ranging from 60 million VND to more than 100 million VND per person for about 10 days.

Winter ski tourism has been registered by many Vietnamese tourists since before the Christmas season. Photo: Pexels.

Typically, this winter, Ms. H.H. Choose Gangwon-do province (2 hours drive from Seoul) as a stopover, sightseeing and skiing destination in Korea. After experiencing this sport, this female tourist felt that skiing was very interesting, challenging her patience.

"I couldn't skate the first time because the shoes were too tight. After my whole body ached, I thought I wouldn't go again. But in the end, I still walked again, continued to learn and finally accomplished my goal. Once you can ski, everyone will feel like conquering more, the feeling of winning over yourself. If you can ski this subject, you will love it and want to do it again and again," Ms. H.H. share.

Skiing requires patience from visitors. Photo: Hien Hoang.

Along with that, according to Hoa Mai Tourist's statistics, the need for tourists to go abroad to celebrate the New Year has not made a breakthrough but has always tended to increase. This year, European destinations are also chosen by some customer groups to celebrate Christmas and New Year, while also taking advantage of the opportunity to shop during the big discount season in the West.

Meanwhile, some other travel businesses say that foreign tourists still tend to go for economical itineraries that suit their spending habits, such as the 4-5 day Bangkok - Chiang Mai (Thailand) tour with price 9 million VND; 4-day tour to Singapore 12 million VND; 5-day tour to Malaysia costs 15 million VND. In addition, with a price of 8 million VND/person and easy entry procedures, many tours to Thailand, Taiwan (China), Malaysia, Cambodia... are increasingly attracting the attention of tourists. .

Regarding prices, travel companies believe that this year's Tet tour prices will only have a slight adjustment compared to normal, increasing from 5-15% depending on the itinerary.

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Update day : 01/01/2024