HÀ NỘI — While the pandemic has badly affected the tourism and hospitality industry in Việt Nam, it has led to the development of the country's staycation sector, with many tourists opting for luxury options.

According to the Institute for Tourism Development Research, part of Việt Nam National Tourism Administration, staycations are becoming more popular and helping to boost the tourism sectors in big cities.

As a five-star property on Xuân Diệu Street, Fraser Suites Hanoi has just opened another luxury tower in the same area.

Mostly serving long-term or short-term stays for Japanese and other international visitors, Sandy Ng, General Manager of Fraser Suites Hanoi, told Việt Nam News: “Now we aim at young people, especially young couples, with spending power in Việt Nam and a good staycation should be our attraction.”

Sandy Ng said: “Việt Nam's economy is growing well and the millennials, who were born between 1980 and 1995, are eager to pay for a nice experience in the city.”

"After a long period of staying at home due to social distancing, they need to escape from home and travel. Therefore, staycation is a smart and safe alternative in this pandemic period," she said.

With its prime location overlooking West Lake, the new Tower B of Fraser Suites includes 280 gold-standard fully furnished spacious residences, including magnificent penthouses with excellent garden and lake views. 

Finishing the new tower during the pandemic while other hotels and properties were shut down, Sandy Ng said: “We see and trust the potential of Việt Nam to bring tourism back.” 

Knowing the taste of the young people, Quang Nguyen, Operations Manager of the property, said: “We offer them all that makes them enjoy a real holiday from a smorgasbord of F&B offerings that include local, Western and Japanese cuisine to the Sky Lounge and Pool that boasts stunning views and is the latest hotspot to chill out or party the night away.”

Experts said the demand for on-site tourism or staycations after four months at home was increasing, helping revive the hotel industry in the city. 

When social distancing measures were relaxed from October 1, Traveloka and iVIVU.com both started to record a significant increase in hotel bookings. Many hotels predict that, in the short term, many people will choose to travel on-site with staycation packages at attractive prices with many additional utilities such as free room upgrades or early check-in.

Nguyễn Văn Bình, leader of Sun Group in the central region, said: “The key points to attract tourists in the post-COVID-19 period are the safety solutions and products and services towards new needs.”

"The wellness-oriented experience packages following the wellness trend are leading the world tourism market. This trend promises to bring different experiences, meeting the needs of healthcare tourism during and after the pandemic," Bình said.

Phạm Hà, CEO Lux Group, a unit specialising in the business of 5-star yachts, said that self-contained tourism can help the yacht resort service. The door-to-door transfer process and closed experience on the yacht help ensure safety and reduce contact. Hà said CEO Lux Group has also received many booking requests from the beginning of November.

According to tourism experts, Việt Nam's hotel tourism market sees 80 per cent of domestic guests. Therefore, as soon as the pandemic is brought under control, strong recovery of the domestic tourism industry will be possible.

The on-site tourism model is predicted to be a popular trend among customers, helping hotels boost revenue. The 4-5 star hotels are offering attractive promotional packages to attract domestic customers. In addition, the implementation of the "vaccine passport" is also a very important factor for Việt Nam to be able to open its doors to international visitors.

McKinsey & Company, a US global management consulting firm, said demand for domestic travel in Việt Nam will continue to grow and recover relatively quickly, thanks to increased domestic spending, estimating the tourism sector could fully recover to pre-pandemic levels by 2024.

Experts have recommended that Việt Nam invest in domestic tourism, new tourism products, high-quality human resources, infrastructure, and digital transformation efforts to boost the sector both locally and internationally. — VNS