An increasing number of tourists are interested in trips to islands and coastal regions, which urges tour providers to improve their service to meet demand.
Nha Trang, Đà Nẵng, Quy Nhơn, and Phú Quốc are among the most famous island tourist attractions. Vietnamese tour companies have introduced many new tours, especially to farther islands, due to increasing demand.
"Apart from tours to famous beaches such as Hạ Long, Đà Nẵng, Nha Trang, Phú Quốc, and Phan Thiết, we offer tours to new locations, such as the Chu Lai and Tuy Hòa seas, Lý Sơn, and Bạch Long Vĩ islands. We also have to improve our service quality due to tourists’ demand." - Nguyen Tien Dat, Deputy Director, TransViet Travel.
According to experts, the tourism sector has not developed to its full potential. Vietnam has advantages to provide tours on cuisine, traditional festivals, and the spiritual customs of the locals, which are currently favoured by tourists.
"Tour providers should target tourists who stay at the site for a long period. They are willing to pay for services that they like." - Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, Tourist.
"I think Vietnam should divide tour sites into groups. Natural tour sites should be preserved and the building of hotels should be carefully planned. They should also pay attention to environmental protection when more tourists come." - Napasorn Kakai, Director, Office of Tourism Authority of Thailand in HCMC.
"We have a long term plan to expand tours to farther islands when sea traffic facilities get better. We will employ our advantages based on particular circumstances." - Nguyen Van Tuan, General Director, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
The development of island tourism not only boosts the economic growth of the region, but also raises local residents’ awareness of national territorial waters. According to experts, Vietnam’s tourism needs to be more professionalised and modernised to attract more tourists in and out of the country.
