Son La: Improving the quality of tourist accommodation services

Community Homestay at Moc Chau Happy Land Tourist Area

With the attention to attracting investment and creating favorable conditions from all levels and sectors in Son La province, tourist accommodation facilities in the province are constantly developing to better meet the needs of tourists.

The province currently has 626 tourist accommodation establishments, of which 29 hotels and resorts have been ranked from 1 star to 5 stars. Accounting for nearly 50% of the total number of tourist accommodation establishments in the province, Moc Chau currently has nearly 300 accommodation establishments with diverse scales and types, offering many choices with different prices and experiences for tourists. In particular, many accommodation establishments are uniquely and modernly designed, increasing the experience for tourists, homestays combined with camping services, outdoor parties, attractive entertainment areas, are destinations that attract tourists, such as: Resort complex, entertainment at Moc Chau Island Tourist Area, Ban Ang Pine Forest Tourist Area, Muong Thanh Luxury Moc Chau Hotel, Thao Nguyen Resort, Hobbiton homestay Moc Chau...

Ms. Dinh Thi Huong, Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Moc Chau district, said: The district focuses on propaganda and guidance for business units to invest in upgrading facilities, from room service, entertainment areas, dining areas and other accompanying services to attract tourists. Especially ensuring security, safety, fire prevention and fighting, public price listing... At the same time, regularly coordinating to organize specialized training courses on tourism, hotel management, kitchen services, room service for accommodation establishments. Room occupancy rate at tourist accommodation establishments, restaurants and eateries in Moc Chau is always 60% or higher, reaching 100% on weekends and holidays.

Unique architecture, suitable for the natural conditions of each region, is the top priority of tourist accommodation establishments when designing motels and homestays, creating a difference for each tourist destination to attract visitors. Typically, such as: Resort bungalows combined with highland sightseeing in Ta Xua commune, Bac Yen; communal stilt houses harmoniously combined with peaceful, poetic natural scenery in Ngoc Chien commune, Muong La; lakeside resorts in Quynh Nhai... Accommodation establishments also constantly diversify the types of accompanying utility services, especially culinary services, entertainment, local cultural experiences...

Mr. Pham Van Doanh, Director of Quynh Nhai Tourism Investment and Development Company Limited, said: Trung Kien Resort currently has 10 bungalows, 25 hotel rooms and 2 communal rooms with a capacity of 30 - 40 people. We prioritize serving tourists with typical cuisine of Quynh Nhai Lake, collaborating with art troupes to serve tourists to enjoy and experience the culture. At the same time, we regularly renovate and upgrade the infrastructure system, innovate the menu, and receive comments from customers to make appropriate changes.

Every year, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has actively coordinated with other sectors to inspect the conditions of technical facilities and services for tourists at accommodation establishments; organize the assessment of accommodation establishments, tourist areas, destinations and other tourism services in districts and cities to improve the service quality of business establishments. From 2021 to present, 311 tourist areas, destinations and business establishments in the province have been inspected, promptly detecting and handling violations according to regulations.

Coordinate with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to inspect, appraise and recognize 4-5 star rating for 2 hotels; inspect, appraise, grant licenses and notify the standards of serving tourists for 180 tourist accommodation service establishments, 9 shopping, dining, sports and entertainment establishments. In the first 9 months of 2024, the whole province welcomed over 3.8 million tourists, of which over 50% were overnight guests.

Participating in the Famtrip delegation to survey destinations in Moc Chau National Tourist Area, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Hoa, Deputy Director of Dynamic Travel, Hanoi, assessed: Son La's tourist accommodation facilities are quite diverse in type, scale, price, and can meet different needs of tourists. Homestay types with additional experiences of production life and indigenous culture are the types that can attract foreign tourists, or accommodation - dining - entertainment complexes are suitable for a variety of tourists.

The goal of Son La tourism is to welcome 5.2 million visitors, with revenue reaching 5,800 billion VND by 2025, with an average growth of 10 - 20%/year. In particular, the specific goal is to attract tourists staying for 2.1 - 2.3 days. With the positivity, dynamism and creativity of tourism businesses, the management and close guidance of state management agencies will be the basis for the province's tourism to develop in the right direction, achieving the set goals.
* Thanh Dao, Son La Online Newspaper - baosonla.org.vn
Keywords: Son La,quality of service,accommodation,