A working session on tourism environment in Hoi An city took place last week. Present at the event were Vice Chairman of the Quang Nam provincial People’s Committee Tran Van Tan and leaders of Hoi An services.
Steady development
The number of visitors to Hoi An during the first 6 months of 2018 estimably increased by 69% compared to the same period of last year. The growth of Hoi An tourism is rather even, from the UNESCO’s cultural heritage to the Cham Islands World Biosphere Reserve. The number of visitors using tourism services in Hoi An increased considerably, especially international ones from France, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Switzerland… The total turnover of tourism-services in Hoi An was up 17.8%.
In spite of its impressive achievements, tourism in Hoi An still reveals some shortcomings in management. There are the problems of uncontrolled service prices, snatch and run, overcrowding at the sightseeing sites. Moreover, the knowledge of some tour guides is so limited that they cannot provide visitors with necessary information about the destination. Another problem of Hoi An tourism is the traffic jam, especially from 3p.m on. So, Hoi An needs to have comprehensive resolutions to these shortcomings.
Improving the quality of Hoi An tourism
According to Mr. Tran Van Tan and some Hoi An’s leaders, it’s time Hoi An had its plans to raise the quality of tourism destinations. It is the installing of cameras in the ancient quarter and some crowded places. Building some more village markets will help reduce the pressure on the ancient quarter, increase the opportunities for introducing and advertising local products. It is also necessary to change traffic lanes; the over 45 seat bus is forbidden in the city center. In addition, the quality of all the tourism services should be upgraded, that of human resources and products included.
Vice Chairman of the Hoi An People’s Committee Nguyen Van Son said that receiving a lot of support from Quang Nam province, Hoi An is attempting to improve the quality of its tourism and services. However, the number of visitors to this place is too enormous to control. So it is essential to have a specific policy for Hoi An to remove all its limitations.