Three to five star hotels specializing in receiving South Korean travelers in the central city of Da Nang reported that the number of hotel rooms booked has decreased by 20-30 percent.

“In previous years, our hotel was full in firework festival season. But there are many vacant rooms now,” a representative of a hotel said.

Nguyen Duc Quynh, deputy chair of the Da Nang Hotel Association, has also confirmed the decrease in the number of South Koraen traveler to the sea city in the central region.

The number of South Korean travelers to Thua Thien-Hue fell from 28, 129 in April to 21,556 in May.

Nguyen Ngoc Anh, director of Omega Tours, has also confirmed the reduction of up to 30 percent.

“After seven to eight years of continued growth, the South Korean market has entered the period of decline. The phenomenon mostly happens with foreign markets,” he said, adding that travel firms in South Korea are under pressure to seek new markets after a period of bringing travelers to Da Nang.

The other reason behind the decline, according to Anh, is market diversification.

“While fewer South Korean travelers are coming to Da Nang, travelers from other countries, including Japan, Malaysia and Thailand, have been flocking here,” he said.

This has led to big changes in prices and services. South Korean firms no longer can dominate the market.

Nguyen Van Phuc, deputy director of the Thua Thien-Hue provincial Tourism Department, the number of travelers to one destination will decrease after 3-5 years of increasing, and it will rise again later.

The number of Thai travelers to Hue City, for instance, began increasing in 2010 and peaked in 2013-3014 (first position), and then fell to the sixth position in 2017-2018. In the first five months of 2019, the number of Thai travelers ranked second or third among the biggest markets.

One year ago, Cao Tri Dung, the then newly elected chair of the Da Nang City Tourism Association, also predicted that South Korean travelers would head for new markets in the near future.

In 2018, the number of South Korean travelers to Da Nang amounted to 60 percent of total 3 million foreign travelers.

Linh Anh

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