The
northern province of Quang Ninh has ignited tourists’ uproar with its new
pricing scheme that almost doubles admission fees for Ha Long Bay excursions as
of December 1.
Under the directive No 3620, tourists
departing from Ha Long tourism port to follow any of the five excursion routes
will be charged from VND40,000 to VND130,000 a person (US$2 - $6.5), nearly
twice the previous rates.
In addition, tourists wishing to visit only
one route within the bay are now required to buy tickets for all the
attractions in that route whether they want to see them all or not.
For instance, tourists wishing to visit route
No 2, which consists of many attractions including Sung Sot Cave, Ti Top Islet,
Me Cung Cave, Dong Tien Lake, and Trinh Nu Cave, will now have to buy tickets
for all the five sites listed even if they only want to see Sung Sot Cave.
Prior to the new regulation, tourists only had
to buy one ticket for each place they wanted to visit.
Many travel agencies in Hanoi operating tour
packages to Ha Long Bay said they were informed of the new price policy via
email.
“But we will not increase our tour prices
until the year’s end,” a tour agent of Thien Thai Travel Co said.
Similarly, tour operator Sen Rung Co said they
would keep prices of tours to Ha Long unchanged until next year.
New
world’s wonder -- new price
Earlier on November 11, Ha Long Bay was named
among the world’s new seven wonders of nature, according to the global poll
conducted by New Open World Corporation, an associate of the New 7 Wonders
Foundation.
Since the price adjustment was made soon after
the bay received the title, the public have expressed concern whether its
recognition as a world’s new wonder is the main reason for the price hike.
Commenting on this, Doan Thi Thuy Hanh, head
of finance and planning of the Ha Long Bay management board, said the ticket
price adjustment was part of the provincial authorities’ planning.
“The adjustment should have been made as early
as May, but we had to wait for the provincial People’s Council approval,” Hanh
told Tuoi Tre.
“The fact that the new admissions coincided
with Ha Long being named the world’s new natural wonder has misled the public
into thinking that we have purportedly taken advantage of the new title to hike
ticket fees.”
However, Do Duc Thang, deputy head of the
bay’s management board, said since Ha Long Bay has become a new world’s wonder,
its admission fees must be increased to reflect its new status.
Thang added that there were two other reasons
for the hike.
“We need money to increase investment and
improve service and management quality,” he said.
“Moreover, ticket fees cannot be kept
unchanged at this time of high inflation.”
TUOI TRE
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment