Accommodation "sold out "

During the holidays of April 30 and May 1, along the roads leading to the center of Dong Hoi City, the number of vehicles coming in and out was always busy. The coastal areas of Nhat Le, Quang Phu, and Bao Ninh were densely packed with tourist vehicles with license plates from other provinces. People flocked to coastal hotels, resorts, and homestays in Phong Nha-Ke Bang. At many 3-star and above accommodations, the situation of "room shortage" occurred nearly a week before the holiday.

Ms. Do Thanh Trang, a tourist from Bac Giang province, shared that she had booked a room since the beginning of April but there were still only rooms available in an area nearly 3km away from the beach. Many of Ms. Trang’s friends, due to late bookings, could not find a place to stay in the center of Dong Hoi City and had to book motels and hotels in Hoan Lao town (Bo Trach), Quan Hau (Quang Ninh)…

It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of visitors came to Quang Binh during the holidays, with the highest concentration on the two peak days of April 30 and May 1. The average occupancy rate at hotels and motels was 90-100%. Overcrowding also occurred at famous tourist attractions. Phong Nha Cave, Thien Duong Cave, Chay River - Dark Cave, and Nuoc Mooc Stream were all packed with people from early morning.

At Thien Duong Cave, at any time of the day, the line of people waiting to buy tickets stretches hundreds of meters. Boats carrying tourists to Phong Nha-Tien Son Cave are constantly operating at full capacity. Tourist attractions in the North of Quang Binh Province such as the Tomb of General Vo Nguyen Giap in Vung Chua (Quang Trach), Da Nhay Beach (Bo Trach) ... also welcome tens of thousands of visitors.

Many new and exciting experiences

In just 4 days of the holiday, the routes and tourist destinations managed by Phong Nha-Ke Bang Tourism Center welcomed more than 37,000 visitors. Tourists chose destinations and traditional tourism products, such as: Exploring Phong Nha Cave - Tien Son Cave, experiencing Chay River - Dark Cave, and Nuoc Mooc Stream.

Previously, to enhance the experience for visitors, the center has renovated and upgraded tourist routes and spots, such as: Adding more experiences of water bikes, skateboards, stand-up paddle boards (SUP), headlamps, ziplines, etc. at the Chay River - Dark Cave tourist spot. There are also many new check-in spots, some floating houses built in the middle of the river, creating a unique relaxing space, bringing a new feeling to visitors.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Hieu (28 years old, from Ho Chi Minh City) said: “The first time I came to Quang Binh, I tried the zipline tour, mud bath and SUP rowing on Chay River. It felt great! Quang Binh is beautiful not only because of its nature but also because of its pristine nature, not as noisy as many other places”.

This year's holiday, Quang Binh has had "golden" weather with continuous sunshine for many days, favorable for outdoor activities and experiencing nature. Adventure tourism products, cave exploration, and sea tourism continue to attract visitors. We were present at Nhat Le beach on the afternoon of May 2 and witnessed a sudden increase in the number of visitors.

Tourists mainly travel in family groups, mostly from northern provinces and cities such as Hanoi, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, etc. Tourists swim in the sea, enjoy seafood and experience services on the sea. Beaches such as Quang Phu and Bao Ninh (Dong Hoi City) are also crowded.

At Quang Phu beach, a group of tourists from Hanoi said they chose Quang Binh because of its “beautiful, clean beaches, delicious food and friendly people”. Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai (Cau Giay district, Hanoi) shared: “My family has been to many famous beaches but was very impressed with Nhat Le and Quang Phu, especially the fresh seafood and reasonable prices”.

In addition to the majestic nature, this year's holiday, localities in the province also organize many attractive programs: Dong Hoi Culture-Tourism Week events; traditional boat racing festival on Son River, creating a bustling atmosphere, connecting tourists with local cultural life.

In particular, the low-altitude fireworks display taking place on the evening of April 30 at Ho Chi Minh Square and the Legend Fest art program at Regal Legend urban area (Dong Hoi City) attracted a large number of people and tourists from all over to experience.

Many community tours and green tourist destinations such as Ozo Park (Bo Trach) have also recorded a sharp increase in the number of visitors. This is a positive sign for a new direction that not only develops green and sustainable tourism, but also helps tourists have more options when coming to Quang Binh.

Quality needs to catch up

The sudden increase in the number of visitors has clearly exposed the “bottlenecks” in the tourism infrastructure system of Quang Binh. On many routes leading to famous tourist destinations such as Truong Phap and Ho Chi Minh West, local traffic jams occur frequently. At some beaches, environmental sanitation awareness is not good. A lot of waste is generated but the collection force cannot handle it in time.

Many restaurants and eateries are “overloaded”, serving slowly, and prices fluctuate slightly. In many cases, tourists have to wait quite a long time for their food. On the Quang Binh Review group - an online travel community with more than 140,400 members, there have been many comments about the quality of motels, hotels, and service attitude at dining establishments.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha, a tourist from Hai Phong, shared: “We ate at a restaurant by the sea, the staff was in a hurry, and the dishes were not served. Although I am not too upset because I know that during the holidays, there are many tourists so it is inevitable that there will be shortcomings. However, I also hope that Quang Binh tourism will pay more attention to this step to bring tourists the best experiences.”

Previously, despite many warnings about hotel and restaurant booking scams in newspapers and online travel groups, this year's April 30 holiday saw tourists being scammed, causing frustration and affecting the image of Quang Binh tourism. Some tourists also reported that the quality of accommodation facilities was not as expected and not commensurate with the price.

This year's April 30 and May 1 holidays show the growing attraction of Quang Binh tourism, not only thanks to its majestic nature but also because of increasingly systematic investment in infrastructure and tourism products.

However, to maintain trust and create a lasting impression on tourists, the provincial tourism industry needs to make more efforts to improve service quality, ensure safety, transparency and friendliness in every experience. The approaching summer is an opportunity for Quang Binh to continue to affirm its position on the national and regional tourism map.