HCM City Air Travel up 50 per cent ahead 30th Liberation Anniversary

HCM City Air Travel up 50 per cent ahead 30^th Liberation Anniversary

The number of foreign visitors to Ho Chi Minh City traveling by air has reached 166,540 from mid-March to now, a 50 per cent increase over the same period last year, according to the city's Department of Tourism.

The figure will surely continue rising until the 30^th National Reunification Day on April 30, the largest-ever and solemnly organized event, the municipal tourism management body said.

Of the total, the US with over 22,000 tourists tops the list, followed by Taiwan with 18,000, and Japan 17,000, the Service revealed, adding that there is also a sharp increase in tourists from Europe and Australia.

Air-tourists from France have grown by 69 per cent, Germany 48 per cent, and Australia 58 per cent while those from ASEAN countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia, recorded a 73 per cent increase.

Inflow of visitors via other routes has also posted a surge, which was reportedly over 21 per cent on-year, the Service said.

The move will create a boom in occupancy rate, as almost all hotels in the city are experiencing occupied room rate of 75 to 85 per cent.

The hotels and accommodation systems may have to refuse additional orders as they have been overbooked by travel companies and tour operators, an official from the Service said.

Responding to the situation, Mr. Le Nhut Tan, Director of the Service, has called for coordination of local hotels and travel companies to meet all the orders - arranging, for example, route-to-route tours to surrounding localities.

The city’s tourism manager is working out measures to keep hotel prices stable and ensure best quality for the services.

According to the body, weaknesses in the local hospitality sector now limit potential growth of standardized hotels. Currently there are only 142 three-five starred hotels with 5,500 rooms from the total of 700 registered hotels. Poor operation of almost 4,500 travel companies and expensive prices of plane tickets were also reported as major problems. Tours to Vietnam offered by domestic service providers are often 40-70 per cent higher than by international competitors.

Mr. Pham Tu, Deputy Head of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism noted that the city should raise the quality of products, targeting luxury clients, diversify service with competitive prices to round up free travelers into well-organized tours and increase the number of returning visitors.

According to a recent survey by the Singapore-based Abacus International, a leading travel agency of Asia-Pacific, Vietnam with Ho Chi Minh City as the national hub is emerging as the third most favored destination for Europeans, after China and India.

The city expects to welcome 1.8 million international tourists this year, up 15 per cent on 2004 and representing 55 per cent of the national total. In the first quarter, it served 586,564 foreign arrivals, up 21 per cent over the same period last year and earning revenues up 13.3 per cent on-year.

Vietnam & World Economy, VNS