In recent years, there are inadequate services called zero-VND Tours with the Chinese tourists that partly ruin the images of tourism in Vietnam. In particular, Quang Ninh Province is most influenced by these unqualified tours that lure flocks of Chinese people.
The nature of Zero-VND Tour – It is cheap tour instead
Quang Ninh Authorities have explained several times that there are no zero-VND tours. Instead, they are the cheap tours. The presence of these unqualified tours is due to the agreements between the travel agents in China and in Vietnam that accept the sale prices lower than the input ones. Then, in order to compensate the service charges, they ask the tourists to use and buy the extra services via the shopping rounds in the destination. This matter causes Quang Ninh Province to be packed with numerous Chinese travelers who occupy most of the tourist attractions and make noises.
At the beginning of 2017, the Vietnamese and some authentic tour operators have reported the damaged tourism environments in Quang Ninh, caused by the zero-VND tours. Because of the Chinese crowds, some domestic and overseas tourists are reluctant to travel to Quang Ninh as they do not want the unexpected noises as well as hassle. There are the local attempts to better manage the cheap tours, aiming to take control over the travel agents and prevent the “selling customers” cases or forcing them to buy more services and gain the differences.
Going on the cheap packages, these Chinese guests agree to stay at the low-cost guesthouses (only VND20.000 – VND30.000 / person) and eat the simple meals with little meat and fish. That means they have to pay more money to eat seafood.
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Domestic and foreign tourists dislike the zero-VND tours
“The Chinese travelers are everywhere in Quang Ninh” is the common saying that other domestic and foreign tourists have to say when they get there. In particular, the Chinese have the dominant presence at Tuan Chau Tourism Port in Halong, though it is the early morning. Some feel very unpleased when most parts of the port are set up to serve the zero-VND tourists. There are also some other things that make the locals afraid of the tourism in Quang Ninh recently, such as the signboards and the signs in front of the shops are written in Chinese.
Via the zero-VND Tours to Quang Ninh, the crowds can bring more money to the local tourism sectors. However, if looking at the downsides of the service, these unqualified tours bring down the reputation of the provincial tourism. This might not be the healthy way to promote the land of the UNESCO Heritage at all. Though the province receives the huge Chinese visits, it unconsciously loses the travelers from the other countries, and also the domestic ones.
Another fact to prove the negative influences of the low-quality tours is that the points of interest like Sung Sot Cave, Thien Cung Cave, Luon Cave, etc., are often packed by the Chinese tourists (who are going on the 0-VND tours). This drives the visitors of other countries to feel afraid of, and have to stand in a long and exhausted queue (might take up to several hours) to enter the attractions.
The 0-VND tours to Quang Ninh Province damage the images of Vietnam’s tourism environments that need the local authorities to have more realistic management solutions. While rest of the world is trying to improve their country images for better tourism, Vietnam needs to think twice about the matters of the zero-VND packages. The best tours should tell the customers what is included and excluded in the programs so that people book and enjoy traveling at the optimum level of satisfaction.
