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A
lthough the first four months
of 2013 saw a drop in inter-
national arrivals compared to
the same period in 2012, the
summer season witnessed unexpected-
ly strong growth which was enough to
counteract the poor start. Ultimately,
total international arrivals to November
2013 reached 6.8 million, represent-
ing 10 per cent growth over the same
period last year.
“We can see the growth trend al-
ready starting and it will continue to
strengthen throughout 2014 despite
the economic situation,” said Stephen
J. Alexander, general manager of the
Hanoi Daewoo Hotel. He added: “With
the global economy slowly strengthen-
ing it is like ripples in a pond reaching
this part of the world. The judicious
planning and bilateral partnerships the
Vietnamese government is forming
are giving more and more confidence
to the market place which germinates
more interest and investment catering
to the high-end tourist.”
Alexander believes 2014 will
see growth, with high-end tourism
riding the wave of strengthening
economies. Vietnamese people will
form part of this high-end growth as
they have more disposable income,
are more discerning and have higher
expectations.
Meanwhile, William Costley, vice
president of operations for Hilton
Worldwide Southeast Asia foresees Ha-
noi and Ho Chi Minh City being more
stable. “For Danang and Nha Trang, we
don’t really get much exposure, so we
do not have detailed data. But I think
Danang will struggle a little bit more
this year than what it did last year.
But for the major cities, I think it will
be fine. We’re optimistic. Sometimes
people see it as tough, but we see it an
opportunity,” he said.
In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City,
hoteliers are generally satisfied with
their business results this year, though
they are also not keen to share their
financial figures.
“Hotel de l’Opera opened up in
2011 and can therefore still be consid-
ered Hanoi’s new kid on the block. Last
year was our first full year of business
and we have come a long way since.
Both rates and occupancy have gone
up considerably and we fully expect to
achieve our target and perhaps even
After a shaky start, hoteliers have reported very strong figures for 2013, leaving
them optimistic for the year ahead.
Duc Hanh
reports.
Unexpected growth
XMAS AND NEW YEAR CELEBRATION