Hanoi works hard to promote tourism in off-peak season

The capital city is one of the major tourism centres in the country, offering a wide range of products from cultural tourism, resort tourism, and craft village tourism. It also boasts a large number of accommodation facilities, including many 4- and 5-star hotels.

According to the municipal Department of Tourism, Hanoi houses 3,760 accommodation facilities with 71,246 rooms. The number of rated hotels and apartments accounts for 16% of the total, with 607 hotels and apartment complexes totaling 26,641 rooms rated from 1 to 5 stars. This demonstrates that Hanoi has significant potential to attract more overnight visitors and increase tourism revenue.

So far this year, Hanoi has welcomed 3.43 million international visitors and 13.01 million domestic tourists, up 42.5% and 5.8% year-on-year. However, during the hot season, the number of visitors to the city typically experiences slower growth, especially for those staying overnight.

To attract more tourists this summer, the municipal authority has taken a series of solutions, including introducing new tourism products, as well as offering promotions and discounts from accommodation facilities.

For example, JW Marriott Hanoi Hotel offers a summer promotion programme for families, with a price at VND4.5 million (nearly US$180) per night, including services such as breakfast and afternoon tea. The Silk Path Hotel offers a 15% discount for the summer season.

Many luxury accommodation facilities on the outskirts of Hanoi also have offered summer promotion programmes, resulting in a significant increase in visitor numbers.

Hoang Van Phuong, manager of Melia Ba Vi Resort, stated that the resort is offering a policy under which guests can enjoy free camping and teambuilding as part of a day-service package.

Meanwhile, Glory Resort in Son Tay township is applying a discount programme on certain days to attract visitors to stay longer.

The city is accelerating the development of eco-tourism, resort and healthcare tourism in cooler mountain areas, such Thach That, My Duc, Soc Son, and especially Ba Vi, which boasts beautiful waterfalls and streams.

Tourist areas in Ba Vi such as Thien Son-Suoi Nga, Khoang Xanh-Suoi Tien, and Ao Vua, recently expanded their experience offerings for visitors. In addition to exploring the natural scenery, tourists can now experience a range of wellness services including acupressure and massage, herbal steam baths, detox baths, and fresh oxygen inhalation. These added services help destinations become more attractive to visitors.

Another noteworthy activity is camping tourism. Among the options, the Ba Vi National Park is considered an ideal camping destination, currently favoured by many visitors who love trekking and exploring natural landscapes.

According to Melia Ba Vi Mountain Retreat, in summer, there is a significant number of guests booking camping tours, including many international tourists. With its natural ecological value, camping tourism at the Ba Vi National Park is becoming one of the attractive products for holiday-makers.

These solutions are showing the right direction for Hanoi in attracting tourists during the off-peak season.

According to Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Nguyen Hong Minh, accommodation facilities need to develop specific packages of products to attract domestic tourists to Hanoi in the off-peak season. Tourism experts suggest that apart from discount policies and promotional activities by hotels, Hanoi needs to offer more experiential tourism products to encourage longer stays.