Is the tourism and service industry ready for peak seasons?

Since the reopening of tourism on March 15, 2022, many people have been excited about their first trip after the pandemic. However, many have been disillusioned as the surge in tourist demand has led to service disruptions.

On March 30th in Da Lat (Lam Dong province), the city's People's Committee issued a decision to fine a banh can (rice pancake) restaurant on Tang Bat Ho street for insulting a group of 30 tourists. On April 10th in Moc Chau (Son La province), a group of tourists from Hanoi were assaulted by hotel staff after complaining about poor room quality. These two (among many) "incidents" have attracted thousands of online interactions, leaving many tourists wondering about the quality of the service industry after a long period of stagnation.

New beginnings, old challenges…

Huynh Quoc Trong (27 years old), currently working in real estate and tourism in Phu Quoc, shared: “During the recent [holiday] period, there was a huge influx of tourists, about 30% higher than last year. Phu Quoc is chosen as a tourist destination because it is the first city in Vietnam to implement the Vaccine Passport program. In addition, with the current global tourism trend of beach and nature tourism, Phu Quoc meets both of these criteria.”

When asked about the difficulties, Quoc Trong shared: “After the pandemic, almost all places faced difficulties with staffing. Many employees have not yet returned to work, and many others have left the profession. The current shortage of tourism staff remains a difficult problem for the tourism industry in Phu Quoc.”

According to statistics from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, during the three-day Hung Kings' Commemoration Day holiday, the whole country served approximately 3 million domestic tourists. Phu Quoc Island alone welcomed about 75,316 visitors (including 1,756 international tourists), a 15% increase compared to the Lunar New Year holiday. This number is expected to continue to rise with the arrival of more international flights, but service providers are not yet fully prepared due to a shortage of personnel.

Stimulating tourism demand - a timely catalyst.

Besides reopening, tourism promotion events are also a highlight attracting tourists who are ready to "pack their bags and go".

On March 25th, the first-ever "Hot Air Balloon Festival" took place in the ancient town of Hoi An (Quang Nam), attracting significant public attention. On April 10th in Hue, 4,700tableRacers from all 63 provinces and cities across the country participated in the VnExpress Marathon Imperial Hue 2022. Many tourists also came to watch and explore the city situated along the romantic Perfume River.

Tra Giang (27 years old) traveled from Hanoi to Hue to participate in the race and won second place in the 42km distance. Giang shared: “With the large number of tourists, overcrowding is unavoidable. We booked our hotel two weeks in advance, and the long journeys meant waiting for buses, traffic jams, and longer wait times for restaurant reservations. But everything was manageable, and in the end, I still feel satisfied.”

Giang added that what impressed her most during her recent trip were the taxi drivers in Hue. “The taxi driver who took us from the airport to the hotel, when I called him to tell him he’d be leaving at 2:30 AM the next morning, waited half an hour early in front of the hotel just to pick us up for a 2km ride. Or there was the taxi driver who took us sightseeing in Hue all day and then invited us to his house for dinner; he even asked for our numbers to arrange a trip to Hanoi together sometime.”

It was these small but profound impressions that made Giang certain she would return to this city in the future.

OnetableAnother contestant, Tuyen (24 years old), also participated in the competition in Hue. Tuyen excitedly shared her experience: “Regarding services, I noticed some areas were overloaded, such as restaurants and cafes. But the people working in tourism in Hue are very lovely and sincere. I met many friendly, kind, and enthusiastic drivers and shop owners, even though there were a lot of tourists.”

Enhance service quality through professionalism and hospitality.

After two years of being almost completely frozen due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam's tourism industry has shown signs of recovery as the government allowed tourism to reopen from March 15, 2022, and many international flights were restored. In March, the number of international visitors to Vietnam reached 41,700, an increase of 41.4% compared to the previous month and 2.2 times higher than the same period last year. Domestic tourism also recorded many positive signs, with an estimated 26.1 million visitors in the first quarter.

This also bodes well for a promising year for the tourism industry. Although tourism service businesses have not yet fully adapted and still face many difficulties in terms of personnel, with their hospitality and professional work ethic, we have every right to hope for a booming future for Vietnam's tourism industry.

Tung (25 years old) is currently the Communications and Events Manager at The Blacksheep Cocktail Theatre and other bar chains in Hanoi. In the early days after bars reopened, Tung and his staff had to adapt to the large number of customers and the growing trend of nightlife entertainment. According to Tung, customers today are more discerning, spend more carefully, and are more interested in quick, easy entertainment.

"Luckily, the upcoming April 30th - May 1st holiday falls on a weekend. To celebrate, our bar will be launching a brand-new menu – the result of year-long research into recipes and ingredient selection by our skilled bartenders. The highlight of the launch will be a live music night. We've also prepared quite thoroughly for the program and the staff's morale to welcome a large number of customers during this time. It's going to be a sleepless weekend, full of excitement!" - Tung excitedly shared.

April