With tours fully booked for April 30th, numerous travel companies have had to turn away customers.

"We are fully booked for the April 30th holiday. If you still need our services, please schedule a tour after the holiday," said Mr. Nguyen Trung Hau, Director of Haha Travel, in response to a phone call from a regular customer.

The reason for refusing the customer was that the establishment was fully booked for the next four days.public holidays(from April 30th to May 3rd). To ensure service quality, business representatives were forced to refuse or advise people to postpone their trips.

According to Mr. Hau, tourism is showing signs of recovery in both the North and South. Northern routes, including Lai Chau, Son La, and Ha Giang, are attracting many bookings. Meanwhile, the hottest destination in the South remains Phu Quoc (Kien Giang). Approximately 25% of Haha Travel's tour bookings during the April 30th holiday were for Phu Quoc.

Tourists have been visiting President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace in Nam Dan (Nghe An province) in recent days. Photo: Huy Thu

According to Mr. Nguyen Huy Cuong, Deputy Director of Sunworld Ba Den Mountain Tourist Area (Tay Ninh), the resort expects to welcome up to 150,000 visitors during the upcoming April 30th - May 1st holiday. This is an impressive number, considering that during the same period last year, the resort only received about 35,000 visitors. Furthermore, during the recent Hung Kings' Commemoration Day (10th day of the 3rd lunar month), Sunworld Ba Den Mountain welcomed 80,000 visitors.

Saigontourist Travel Agency announced that for the upcoming holiday season, the company has more than 100 product packages.tourBoth domestic and international, the company expects to serve 30,000-35,000 customers. The company observes that tourists are particularly interested in all-inclusive resort packages and accommodation services at high-end resorts. Domestic travel demand is growing strongly, with the top 5 most popular destinations being Phu Quoc (Kien Giang), Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh), Da Nang, and Ha Long (Quang Ninh).

Business representatives believe this is a golden opportunity for the tourism industry to "revive," with the holiday boost helping to revive domestic tourism and serving as crucial preparation for the upcoming international tourism season.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Vu, Head of the Southern Business Group of FLC Group Hotels & Resorts, believes that Ha Long (Quang Ninh) is attracting a large number of tourists due to the potential for linking different routes and tours. For example, tourists can travel from Hanoi to Ha Long and then go on a pilgrimage to Yen Tu. This is one of the beautiful routes that travel agencies are exploiting.

After the Covid-19 pandemic,hotelAll services have been restored. The workforce is at 80% of pre-pandemic levels, and occupancy is expected to reach 100% during the upcoming April 30th holiday and summer vacation.

Ms. Lai Thi Yen, Sales Director for the Northern region of Tung Lam Development Joint Stock Company (the company operating the Yen Tu destination), commented that after the Covid-19 pandemic, travel behavior and the need for relaxation have changed significantly. Previously, people would want to visit many places and combine it with shopping during a trip. Now, for Yen Tu, visitors focus on experiences that emphasize self-care and deep emotional development through activities such as meditation and yoga.

For the upcoming April 30th holiday, both resorts, comprising 225 overnight rooms, are 100% fully booked. Regarding cable car rides and other activities at the destination, the company estimates it will welcome approximately 5,000-6,000 round-trip visitors per day.

The partnership doesn't mean if you bring me 100 customers, I have to give you 100 in return.

Quang Ninh is currently considered one of the most attractive destinations for people in the South, especially those from Ho Chi Minh City. The Director of the Quang Ninh Provincial Department of Tourism, Mr. Pham Ngoc Thuy, affirmed that the nearly 200km of expressways running along the province's length, the international airport, and the dedicated international passenger seaport are the driving forces behind Quang Ninh's tourism breakthrough in recent years, attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists to visit and relax in the area. The province aims to attract over 10 million tourists in 2022, including 1.5 million international visitors.

Cua Lo beach town was crowded during the 2022 tourist season. Photo: Cong Khang

Ms. Nguyen Thi Khanh, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, stated that at this time, the tourism industry can only offer new products that benefit both people and tourism companies through linkages between localities.

To promote and revive tourism, Ho Chi Minh City is engaging in two-way tourist exchanges with Quang Ninh province. In terms of infrastructure and destinations, Quang Ninh fully meets the requirements of Ho Chi Minh City tourists for all types of tourism. It offers both sightseeing and MICE tourism (tourism combined with conferences and seminars).

According to the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, when linking tourism between localities, it should not be understood or demanded that there be a one-to-one balance because demand depends on the population and conditions of each locality. The linkage is to meet the tourism needs of the people of Ho Chi Minh City, which is the primary condition. Conversely, localities also want to bring their citizens to Ho Chi Minh City.

"It's not necessary to demand that if you bring me 100 customers, we must bring you 100 in return. The local partner may not directly bring customers to Ho Chi Minh City, but that region or neighboring provinces will have information and transportation connections; from there, people from other localities will come to the city," Ms. Khanh said.