Central localities welcome hundreds of thousands of tourists during holiday
Coastal localities see small number of tourists due to storm Saola
Businesses do not expect huge surge in travel over National Day break
The tourism sector serves more than 2.5 million visitors during the recent four-day-long holiday. (Photo: SGGP)
The occupancy rate of accommodation facilities reached 55 percent, presenting a drop of 5 percent compared to the same period last year.
Visitors’s travel trend of tightening their wallets, reducing costs of public transportation, such as aircraft and train that increased sharply on national holidays, the impact of storm Sao La bringing heavy rains and rough seas in the Southern region caused the decline of tourist number, said the VNAT.
According to owners of accommodation facilities and travel firms, many visitors canceled hotel reservations and tour bookings due to the storm. In the Mekong Delta provinces, various types of water transport carrying passengers between the mainland and islands have been temporarily suspended due to bad weather.
HCMC and Hanoi led the localities nationwide in the number of visitors during National Day holidays. Short-distance tours to the Nothern provinces, including Ha Giang, Lao Cai, and Moc Chau, and tourist attractions in Mang Den of the central highlands province of Kon Tum, the ancient cities of Hue and Hoi An in the Central region attracted a large number of holiday-makers.
The number of international tourist arrivals to main destinations is estimated to increase in October.
Accordingly, Da Nang City will receive 78,900 foreign visitor arrivals. HCMC, Hanoi, and Khanh Hoa will welcome 37,600, 41,700, and 23,450, respectively, mainly tourists from South Korea, China, Europe, and the US staying for around 4-5 nights, showing a positive sign for Vietnam's upcoming peak in the international tourism season.
By Mai An – Translated by Kim Khanh