Ba Ria-Vung Tau’s tourism on the rise

The province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau welcomed 1.99 million visitors, including more than 235,000 foreign tourists, in the first seven months of this year, according to official data. The number accounts for 74.95 percent of the yearly target set by the southeastern coastal province. Accommodation service revenues amounted to over VND1.2 trillion, representing 70.29 percent of the yearly plan. Ba Ria-Vung Tau attracted about 660,000 visitors in July alone, up 13.6 percent from the same time last year.

The director of the provincial tourism department, Trinh Hang, said beaches and entertainment centers in Vung Tau City are undergoing cleaning and improvement to attract additional visitors. The department will also suggest that the provincial people's committee develop incentive policies for tourism investment, accelerate the development of tourism projects, complete a tourism master plan and strengthen tourism promotion and connectivity.

In the summer of 2017, tourism businesses in the province experienced a 10-30 percent growth in terms of visitor numbers and revenue, compared to the same time in 2016. The occupancy rate was not only high during weekends but on weekdays, as well.

Le Thanh Lam, deputy director of the Bien Dong Ocean Park, said this summer, the park reached a weekday occupancy rate of 60 percent, up 20 percent from the same period last year, and earned revenues 10 percent higher than last summer.

Since June, the Binh Chau Hot Springs and the Ho Coc Beach Resort have attracted a growing number of visitors, reaching a 50-70 percent weekday occupancy rate. The Thuy Duong Resort has reached an average occupancy rate of 40 percent plus, up 10 percent from the same time last year.

According to Nguyen Van Khang, director of the Huong Phong-Ho Coc Beach Resort in Xuyen Moc District, apart from the positive impact of the provincial people's committee directive on improving the tourist environment, professional and high quality services and a diverse range of tourist offerings have helped the resort attract many more visitors.

Huong Phong-Ho Coc has launched seafood buffets and offers BBQ parties with Spanish Bolero music every night. It also offers deals that include pickup service from the visitors’ homes. As a result, the resort attracted 35,803 visitors, earning more than VND7.4 billion in July, up 18 percent from the same time in 2016, taking the total to 161,732 visitors and VND32.4 billion in the first seven months of 2017, up 28 percent from the same period last year. This is a two-year record for the company.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau will continue to strengthen tourism promotion in Vietnam and abroad, and has allocated VND5 billion for this activity in 2017.

Ngoc Han / VEN