Tourists prefer booking rooms online.

Booking accommodations online is becoming increasingly popular among tourists visiting Vietnam.MaleAccording to a survey by Grant Thornton, booking through travel agencies, tour operators, or directly with hotels is preferred over booking through travel agencies.

According to a survey report on the Vietnamese hotel industry recently published by Grant Thornton, in 2012, the number of international tourists visiting Vietnam continued to grow, reaching 6.8 million. Of these, Asian tourists remained the leading group with a 5.5% increase compared to the previous year, in contrast to a decline in tourists from Europe and the Americas.

Online hotel bookings have grown over the past year.
Source: Grant Thornton VietnamMale

The survey also revealed that tourists are now more accustomed to booking hotels online than through traditional methods, due to their convenience and lower cost. Specifically, the percentage of tourists booking hotels online increased by 1.4% to 16.1%, while bookings through travel agencies and tour operators, or directly with hotels, decreased by 0.3% and 0.9%, respectively.

Business travelers, individual tourists, and group tourists have consistently been the three largest groups of travelers over the past 10 years. In 2012, business travel increased by 6.9%, while the number of group tourists decreased by 2.7%.

Due to the economic downturn and an increase of approximately 20,000 new hotel rooms, the average room rate in 2012 decreased slightly by 0.5% to $90.4 USD compared to 2011.

Looking at each category separately, the average room rates for 3-star and 5-star hotels increased by 2.2% and 1.2% respectively, while the average room rate for 4-star hotels decreased by 4.8% last year. Kenneth Atkinson, CEO of Grant Thornton Vietnam, said he was surprised by the more successful year for 3- and 5-star hotels, despite previous predictions suggesting an oversupply of 5-star hotels.

However, in terms of occupancy, the number of 3-star and 4-star hotels increased, while the number of 5-star hotels decreased.

By region, the Central Highlands saw the highest increase in room rates (up 13.3%), while the average room rates in both the North and South remained relatively high.MaleThey all decreased. Especially in the region.MaleRoom rates decreased by as much as 7.6% compared to the previous year. This led to a drop in occupancy rates in the region.MaleIt's 1.2% better than last year, while the other two regions are still declining.

The Grant Thornton survey also revealed a positive sign in the awareness and management of quality standards in Vietnam's hotel industry.MaleThis is most evident in the region.MaleWhen 60% of hotels underwent significant changes, the rate was 52.6% in the North and 52.2% in the Central Highlands.

According to (People's Army Newspaper) - LC