Travel businesses seek ways to retain customers
According to the assessment of functional agencies of Lam Dong province, the temporary closure of Lien Khuong airport for 6 months may disrupt nearly 1 million passengers to Da Lat. This significantly affects tourism activities and local socio-economic development.
Faced with that situation, many travel businesses in Da Lat have proactively developed plans to maintain operations and minimize negative impacts.
Mr. Le Tang Trong Nghia - Director of Vietravel Da Lat Company - said that the disruption of air routes makes it difficult for businesses to maintain high-end 4-5 star customers and conference and seminar (MICE) customers.
When the flight route is temporarily suspended, this group of tourists usually does not choose Da Lat as a destination because they are afraid to travel by other methods. Some groups of tourists from Hanoi and Hai Phong in our system also switch to other tourist destinations," Mr. Nghia said.
To adapt, businesses implement stimulus programs and adjust tourism products.
On the very day Lien Khuong airport closed (March 4), the unit supported a part of the bus ticket costs for tourists traveling from Ho Chi Minh City and Phan Thiet to Da Lat to encourage tourists to travel by road.
According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Quan Quy - Director of Greenhills Trading Service Co., Ltd. - the temporary closure of the airport for a long time is causing the expected sharp decrease in the number of visitors to Da Lat.
The closing time coincides with the summer tourist season, so the number of visitors may decrease by about 40%. To adapt, the unit is considering opening more facilities in Phan Thiet to access customers from Ho Chi Minh City and Southeast provinces, and at the same time develop inter-provincial tours to compensate for the shortage of visitors.
From the perspective of a tourist destination, Mr. Dinh Tuan Anh - representative of the Valley of Love Tourist Area - said that the temporary airport closure greatly affects the young customer segment, a group that often tends to "fly to the highlands on weekends" or "fly to Da Lat for healing".
According to Mr. Tuan Anh, when air traffic is interrupted, the revenue of tourist areas will be affected. To maintain the number of visitors, the unit has built many sightseeing and experiential packages with incentive programs to stimulate demand.
Meanwhile, Mr. Le Son - owner of LiLy Da Lat hotel - said that the mid-range accommodation segment such as 3-star hotels or homestays still maintains a relatively stable number of guests.
In the budget segment, our hotels still maintain a stable number of overnight guests. We also cooperate with some tourist areas to reduce entrance fees for guests," Mr. Son said.
Opportunity to develop new values
Tourism is identified as one of the economic development strengths of Lam Dong province. In which, Da Lat is considered the "heart" of the smokeless industry, contributing an important source of revenue to the locality.
In 2026, Lam Dong province aims to welcome about 25.75 million visitors, including 1.58 million international visitors. Total tourism revenue is expected to reach 71,500 billion VND.
According to Mr. Dinh Van Tuan - Vice Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee - the temporary suspension of operation of Lien Khuong International Airport will certainly affect the tourism industry, but this is only a temporary difficulty.
This is also an opportunity for the locality to innovate its approach and diversify tourism products," Mr. Tuan said.
Provincial leaders believe that together with media agencies and tourism businesses, the locality can turn difficulties into opportunities by promoting road tourism routes and new experiential journeys.
Mr. Nguyen Van Loc, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong province, said that the 6-month closure of Lien Khuong airport is a challenge but also an opportunity to reposition the image of Lam Dong destination in the direction of "easy access by road - long-term experience - high quality".
Through this, the locality can promote the development of road tourism products, experiential tourism and green tourism, in line with the new trends of tourists such as natural resorts, health care and local experiences.
