The beach tourism market is bustling during the peak season.

(Baonghean) - This year, the prolonged hot weather has led to a higher number of tourists visiting Cua Lo than in previous years. This has resulted in a significant increase in the consumption of goods. The coastal town is experiencing a vibrant tourist season...

This season, Cua Lo is bustling with people and vehicles, and business activities, including services, commerce, hotels, and restaurants, are thriving. The increasing number of tourists flocking to Cua Lo has led to a surge in demand for goods, especially food and beverage items. A stroll around the restaurants and kiosks along the beachfront, stretching along Binh Minh Street, reveals that almost every establishment is crowded with customers. Visiting Khanh Bao restaurant, despite being busy preparing food for customers, Ms. Vo Thi Bao cheerfully shared: "My family has been running a restaurant for over 10 years. This year, the hot weather has led to a surge in tourists coming to Cua Lo for beach activities, resulting in increased demand for food and other services. Khanh Bao restaurant is often full, especially on weekends when the number of customers spikes. Even though we've prepared a ready supply of seafood, we sometimes run out of stock. To date, our restaurant's sales have increased by over 30% compared to the same period last year. Although the work is hard, every member of the family is very happy."

Customers buy seafood at Cua Lo seafood market.

Trung Mo Restaurant also consistently attracts large crowds. The owner shared: "It's been a long time since Cua Lo had such a vibrant tourist season as this year. The number of visitors is spread throughout the month, mainly from within the province, with the largest number coming from Vinh City to enjoy the beach and seafood. This year, only live crabs are a bit scarce and expensive, while other types of shrimp, crabs, fish, squid, etc., are relatively stable in price. Customers also consider their spending according to their budget. Many groups of tourists bring food from home to the beach and ask the restaurant to prepare it, and we are happy to serve them, only charging for the cooking service. Our philosophy is 'the customer is king,' so we always welcome guests with enthusiasm, attentiveness, and friendliness. As a result, customers trust and feel secure when coming to our restaurant. By the end of June 2015, sales had increased by about 30% compared to the same period last year."

According to our research at several restaurants and food service stalls on Binh Minh Street, most have seen a 20-30% increase in sales compared to the same period last year. This year, restaurants have prepared a wide variety of seafood dishes to cater to diverse customer needs, from budget-conscious to high-end. The prices of processed seafood at restaurants are relatively consistent, with little variation. High-quality crab (grade 1) costs 600,000 VND/kg, while grade 2 ranges from 400,000 to 500,000 VND/kg. High-quality shrimp (18 pieces/kg) costs 400,000 VND/kg; stir-fried mantis shrimp with tamarind sauce costs 350,000-400,000 VND/kg; and grilled mackerel costs 300,000 VND/kg. Furthermore, beverage prices are relatively stable, with restaurants selling at prices not significantly higher than their purchase prices, which is acceptable to customers. In addition, security and order have been good this year. According to tourists, about 80% of street vendors and beggars have been eliminated, business and service are more civilized, and the tourism infrastructure is cleaner and more beautiful, creating a positive impression on visitors.

We toured the town's seafood market, which offers a full range of fresh seafood from the sea, including shrimp, crab, squid, snails, and various types of fish. The market was bustling with customers, both locals and tourists, including many groups from Hanoi and other provinces, as well as local residents buying seafood as souvenirs for family and friends. Ms. Le Thi Phuong (from Thu Thuy ward) has been selling seafood at this market for nine years, since its early days. Her stall, about 3-4 square meters, displays a variety of seafood such as mackerel, snapper, grouper, sea bass, shrimp, and squid. Ms. Phuong shared: "The seafood mainly comes from fishing boats in Cua Hoi and Cua Lo, always stocked with fresh and delicious products to meet the diverse needs of our customers." This year, customers are buying more than in previous years, with an average sales volume of about 60 kg of seafood per day, an increase of 20-30% compared to the 2014 tourist season.

According to Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hung, owner of Hung My Seafood Agency (Cua Lo), which specializes in supplying seafood to restaurants in the area, he has four large tanks dedicated to collecting crabs, shrimp, and squid from fishing boats. He emphasized that the crabs are always guaranteed to be 100% fresh and live, with a price of 400,000 VND/kg for Grade 1 crabs. Having tanks to keep live crabs ensures a consistent supply for the market, selling an average of over 100 kg of various seafood per day, a 30% increase in sales compared to last year.

The hotel and accommodation business is also thriving. Besides large hotels that often receive bookings from large groups of tourists, private hotels are also attracting a significant number of guests. The owner of the Nam Oanh private hotel in Thu Thuy ward said that with 21 self-contained rooms for rent, all rooms are fully booked on weekdays, and on weekends (Friday, Saturday) and holidays, rooms are almost always fully booked. Room rates are 300,000 VND per night on weekdays and 400,000-500,000 VND per night on weekends.

According to data from Cua Lo Town for the first six months of the year, favorable weather conditions for beach tourism activities, coupled with the synchronized implementation of beach tourism initiatives, resulted in significant increases in most tourism indicators. Total tourism revenue for the first six months is estimated at 1,250 billion VND, a 47.1% increase compared to the same period in 2014, reaching 60.2% of the annual plan; the total number of visitors is estimated at 1,470,000, a 32.4% increase compared to the same period last year. Total retail sales and services are estimated at 2,356 billion VND, an increase of over 22% compared to the same period in 2014. Commercial activities are vibrant, with the establishment of several small supermarkets in the area and trade fair activities contributing to attracting tourists to these shopping destinations. This achievement is partly due to the town's effective public listing of prices for goods at kiosks in the tourist area, strict management to prevent price gouging, and thorough implementation of the "5 No's" policy. Increased inspections against smuggling, commercial fraud, counterfeit and substandard goods, business licenses, price stabilization, and food safety and hygiene at markets, agencies, restaurants, and hotels... aim to build trust and create a positive impression among tourists visiting Cua Lo coastal town.

Text and photos:Quynh Lan