More efforts are
required to boost Vietnam's hotel industry following signs of a slowdown in the
high-end market, Grant Thornton has warned.
The
auditing and consulting firm's managing partner Kenneth Atkinson, briefing the
media yesterday about his company's annual Vietnam Hotel Survey, said occupancy
and room rates this year have been lower than last year at several five-star
hotels.
However,
he did not mention numbers.
"While
the future of the industry looks promising, a lot of effort is needed to
promote Vietnam as a destination in the higher spending markets of Europe and
North America and for MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions)
as well," he said.
The
country's tourism marketing budget is still modest, he said, suggesting taxing
five-star-hotel customers to raise more money for it.
Different
localities having their own logos and slogans is a waste of resources, not to
speak of confusion for guests, he said.
A
splendid experience for guests with good services, high frequency of flights,
and easy visa policy have been key factors that help Thailand attract tourists,
he said.
That
country has set itself a target of 21 million this year, compared to Vietnam's
modest 6.5 million, he said.
Twenty
years ago Thailand had only seen 6 million tourist arrivals, he said.
He
pointed out that around half the visitors to Thailand returned, even with
friends and family, while the rate is very low for Viet Nam.
Grant
Thornton's survey of three – to five-star hotels found that last year
three-star hotels had the highest occupancy rate of 66.4 per cent. It was 58.9
per cent for four-star hotels and 57.4 per cent for five-star hotels.
The
average rate was 60.4 per cent, up 0.7 per cent from 2010. Occupancy edged down
in the north and south, but increased by 7.5 per cent in the central and
Central Highlands regions.
Average
room rates rose by 9.1 per cent to US$90.84.
The
rate was highest in HCM City, at $85.79, followed by Ha Noi and Phan Thiet,
with the latter seeing the highest rise.
VNS
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 Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programmes. Many thanks for visiting www.yourvietnamexpert.com and/or contacting us at contact@yourvietnamexpert.com
No comments:
Post a Comment