Travel agents report a new trend: many high income Vietnamese vacationers are choosing holidays at ‘international standard’ resorts in Vietnam instead of going abroad on tours.

Worn out from hard work, such vacationers prefer to holiday in places where they can really relax, instead of going on tours which make them more tired.

Cong says that in general, travelers prefer short distance trips of only a few days’ duration. Resorts along the central coast from Quang Binh to Phan Thiet and on Phu Quoc island have been favoured by travelers who like bathing in the sea and sightseeing at the same time.

“When the economy develops, 10 million higher class domestic vacationers would bring a big source of income to the tourism industry. Why does Vietnam still strive to receive 5 million of international tourists a year?” Cong asked.

He went on to say that in the last year, the number of travelers staying in resorts accounted for 20 percent of the total clients of Hanoitourist, while spending holidays in resorts has become a growing tendency.

At Vietnamtourist in Hanoi, the number of domestic vacationers going to upscale resorts currently amounts to 10-15 percent of total clients. A Vietnamtourist staffer said that 2008 was a peak year, when the number of clients booking trips to resorts was 40 percent of the total. The

number of travelers in group tours has seen a slight decrease this year due to the economic downturn, but the number of individual travelers remains satisfactory

Taking care for domestic travelers

Many high income Vietnamese vacationers are choosing holidays at ‘international standard’ resorts in Vietnam instead of going abroad on tours

The Deputy Managing Director of Furama Resort in Da Nang City says that Vietnamese guests account for 15 percent of Furama’s total clients.

At the Golden Sands Resort & Spa near Hoi An ancient town, there are always a lot of Vietnamese vacationers, who account for 50-60 percent of total guests in summer. Ninety percent of the clients staying in the resort during the four day early May holiday were Vietnamese.

A recent survey by Saigon Giai Phong newspaper showed that 39 percent of 1,000 polled travelers said they mostly like the type of traveling associated with relaxing, while 49 percent said they like the services like massage and spa when they make tours and stay in resorts. The website of a famous resort in Da Nang City has 2,000 visitors every day.

The global economic recession has resulted in a decline in the number of guests at many Vietnamese resorts. At some, the number of guests has gone down by 30 percent. Furama’s business is off 15-20 percent. Therefore, resorts have been launching promotion programmes to lure vacationers.

Resorts have been providing free services, like meeting and seeing off guests at airports, slashing meal charges, baby-sitting children free of charge (in Furama), or reducing fees for using the spa, providing free breakfasts and free use of tennis court (in Golden Sand Resort & Spa).

Ha Yen