Room prices at three-to five-star hotels in Ho Chi Minh City have fallen nearly 17% so far this year to an average of US$108.7 per room night due to a decline in international tourist arrivals, the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said in a report.
The average room rate at four-star hotels has fallen 17.3%, followed by a fall of 16% at five-star hotels and 14.3% at three-star facilities, the Thoi Bao Kinh Te Saigon Magazine reported Dec 27, citing the department.
Despite a significant drop in room rates the average occupancy rate at these hotels has also fallen by 12.1% on year to 54.5% this year amid the global economic downturn and epidemics. The average occupancy at five-star hotels has fallen by a sharper 12.7% on year, according to the report.
Ho Chi Minh City welcomed around 2.6 million international visitors in 2009, down by around 200,000 compared to last year’s, leading to the lower room rate and occupancy.
Nine of the top ten tourism markets of the city that have seen the fall during the period were the U.S. with the decrease of 4%, Japan 16%, Taiwan 9%, South Korea 14%, Australia 6%, China 3%, Malaysia 7%, Singapore 10%, and France 5%.
Despite lower room rates, hotels in the city are still more expensive than those in the region, the report said.
According to the report, the city now has 1,350 tourist accommodations with nearly 32,000 rooms, up 184 accommodations compared to 2008. Of them, 620 hotels are classified from one- to five-star hotels with 20,430 rooms. (STD)
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