Services providers in Halong Bay have been complaining about the sharp decrease in the number of visitors, especially domestic, after the higher prices were applied from January 1.
Number of domestic visitors falls sharply
Even though Halong Bay continues to attract a steady number of foreign visitors, most of them are those who already booked last year. Many domestic visitors go to Halong Bay en route to visit Yen Tu Mountain and Cua Ong Temple after Tet, but this year it has seen a drop in visitors while Yen Tu Mountain receives its normal crowds.
According to the managers of Halong Bay, in January the number of domestic visitors decreased by 20% and foreign visitors by 3% compared to the same period last year.
Though a local state official said they should wait until summer to tell whether the decrease in the number of visitors is being caused by higher fares or not, many businesses think that higher fares are the main reason. The general entrance fee is now VND120,000 per person per day (USD6). Before the price hike, one visitor paid VND80,000-90,000 for a complete package and would be able to visit several caves, while now they pay VND50,000 for each cave. Many choose to visit only one cave on their tour.
Fewer ships dock at the entrance to Thien Cung and Dau Go caves
With the new prices, revenues to Halong Bay in the first month reached nearly VND32.5 billion, but business owners, especially those who rent out boats by the hour are worried. "A group of 70 domestic visitors cancelled their trip after hearing about the new prices. It would have cost them VND12 million instead of VND5-6 million, to visit only one cave, not to mention that they still would have had to pay transportation. Since fewer visitors come, my boats are rarely used to their full capacity." an owner said.
One owner of a hotel said services on the shore have also been affected. "Most foreign visitors and people who can afford it are not affected, but we've lost many customers."
The fee for for a guest staying over night is VND320,000 per person per night. Children under 15 years old, people aged over 70 years, the poor and disabled, will receive a 50% discount.
