All smiles: Vietnamese ladies welcoming the first batch of Chinese tour groups in three years since the Covid-19 pandemic. — Xinhua
“TODAY is the first day Chinese tour groups are returning to our country after a three-year hiccup due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. We are so eager to welcome them and consider this a festive day,” a Vietnamese tourism official said.
Dinh Thi Kim Hong, an official at the management board of Sa Vy Tourist Site in Mong Cai city, Quang Ninh province, said that nearly 40 Chinese tourists have become valued guests of the northern province in particular and of Vietnam in general after crossing the Mong Cai International Border Gate on Wednesday morning.
“To better serve Chinese tourists, we have improved infrastructure, opened refresher courses for employees and publicised information about relevant fees and service charges in both Vietnamese and Chinese,” she said.
According to Hong, with the return of Chinese tour groups, Mong Cai will certainly realise its target of hosting over 500,000 international arrivals among a total of 1.5 million visitors this year.
“In recent weeks, on certain days, we have received over 1,000 visitors a day, mostly domestic tourists. From now on, we will welcome more and more Chinese tourists who not only visit Mong Cai, but also Ha Long (another city in Quang Ninh, home to the world heritage site of Ha Long Bay), Hanoi and other localities,” she said, adding that many Chinese tourists are big spenders.
Nguyen Ha Hai, director of Hon Gai Tours & Service Joint Stock Company’s Quang Ninh branch, said that weeks before the return of Chinese tour groups to Vietnam on March 15, his company had actively worked with Chinese partners to craft tour packages suitable for Chinese guests who tend to spend lavishly in Quang Ninh.
“More and more Chinese people like to tour golf courses in Quang Ninh, although the cost of such tours is not very low,” Hai said, noting that a six-day tour costs each Chinese tourist 18 to 20 million Vietnamese dong (RM3,429 to RM3,812).
Like tourism officials and travel companies in Quang Ninh, local authorities, tour operators, hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops in many other provinces and cities across Vietnam have also been eager to welcome Chinese tourists back.
Lai Minh Duy, general director of TST Tourist Service & Trading Corporation in Ho Chi Minh City, said his firm has designed tours targeting big-spending Chinese customers such as those staying at four or five-star hotels and cruising the Saigon River, or visiting the Central Highlands region.
“TST Tourist focuses on tapping the mid- and high-end tourist segments, serving high-spending customers who are willing to pay for high-quality services,” he said.
Similarly, other tourism firms in Ho Chi Minh City like VGI Travel are offering tours targeting Chinese guests. A major destination is the city itself, with hotels and restaurants specially designed to serve Chinese visitors. — Xinhua
