The number of European and U.S. visitors to their most preferred tourist destinations in the country, Hue City and Hoi An Town, has fallen sharply recently for various reasons including the strong rise in the number of Chinese and South Korean travelers.

Western European visitors are seen in Hoi An Town

The latest report from the Hoi An Culture and Information Office shows that of the more than 1.6 million tourists in Hoi An Town in 2013 and the more than 3.3 million seen in 2017, international tourist arrivals accounted for 70%-75%. Also, Hoi An Town welcomed 4.55 million visitors over the January-September period, of which 3.4 million tourists were international ones.

Nguyen Van Lanh, head of the Hoi An Culture and Information Office, said the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany and Canada have been considered the town’s major source markets for a long time. However, the number of tourists from these markets has plummeted over the last two years.

Meanwhile, Chinese and South Korean tourist arrivals in the town are rising at a fast clip, representing some 70%-80% of the total international visitors.

As such, the drop in arrivals from the traditional source markets was attributed to the steep rise in Chinese and South Korean tourists. Moreover, many direct air routes have been opened to connect China, South Korea and Japan with central Vietnam, resulting in the rapid growth in tourist arrivals from these nations.

Besides this, Claude M. Balland, general manager of Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort and Spa, noted that a serious landslide in the coastal area of Cua Dai in Quang Nam, where many resorts are located, had discouraged European and U.S. tourists from visiting the town.

Nguyen Son Thuy, director of Indochina Unique Tourist Co., Ltd, stated that the room occupancy rate for European, American and Australian tourists had reached 80%-90% between October and April in the last few years, but it amounted to a mere 20%-30% this year.

Further, Thuy ascribed the fall in room capacity to the crowds of Chinese and South Korean visitors annoying other tourists and the sharp rise in lodging facilities, leading to the situation of supply surpassing demand.

Thuy also pointed out that Hue City has a similar story. Although the travel season for Western European tourists has begun, the number of rooms booked at lodging facilities was recorded at a wild 20%-30%.

Nguyen Van Phuc, deputy director of the Thua Thien-Hue Department of Tourism, remarked that among the city’s 10 major international source markets, South Korean arrivals now comprise 25% of the total and are on the rise in the next few years as Thua Thien-Hue Province has signed numerous cooperation agreements with South Korean travel firms to attract tourists to Hue City.

Meanwhile, tourists from Europe and the United States account for 20% of the total international travelers to the city. It is said that the province has set a target to welcome some 4.3 million tourists in 2018, with some 2.1 million international visitors.

Many experts noted that the rise in the number of South Korean travelers will lower the number of European and U.S. tourists as they will select other tourist sites.

SGT