According to leaders of Halong City, the new method in buying ticket to visit Halong bay to create convenience for tourists. They will buy only one ticket for all tour options instead of buying per ticket at spot site. However, Halong bay ticket expensive nowadays.
On April 4th, Quang Ninh Provincial Committee of Propaganda and Training chaired the press conference to provide press agencies with information on important events related to economic development. Social in the province; In particular, the content of the adjustment of the method of fees to visit Halong bay and the situation of travel activities to welcome Chinese tourists in the area.
Quang Ninh Information Portal quoted Mr Ho Quang Huy, Vice Chairman of Halong city People’s Committee, said the method of collecting fees to visit Ha Long Bay has been adjusted by the provincial People’s Committee from the structure of collection of points of visit to the structure of collection by route, applicable from 01/4/2017.
Tourist queue up to buy ticket for the bay trip
According to Mr. Huy, this new collection mode is to create convenience for visitors to buy only one ticket for the tour selection instead of buying more tickets as currently; Improve efficiency in charge management, reduce the cost of organizing ticket sales; Avoid getting lost at bay checkpoints; At the same time, this is also a prerequisite to complete and respond to the application of information technology to the management of toll collection activities, to the use of electronic tickets and automatic ticket control quickly, conveniently and accurately, or be polite to tourists.
On the content of the suspension of kayaking activity on the Bay, Mr Huy said this decision was issued on the basis of the implementation of UNESCO recommendations on the status of the operation of tourist boats are increasing the number of tourists Calendar, creating unwanted negative impacts on the Heritage. According to existing statistics, over 1,400 kayaks are operating, with about 1,100 kayaks carried on board tourist ships. The addition of other means of navigation will increase the risk of sinking, increasing the combustible material on board and affecting the minimum vessel size. Meanwhile, organizations and individuals doing business in kayak services do not have an approved plan of operation.
Also at the conference, Mr Le Minh Tan, Deputy Director of Quang Ninh Tourism Department, informed about the status of tourism activities in the first quarter of 2017 and travel activities to welcome Chinese tourists in the province. Particularly for travel activities to receive Chinese tourists through Mong Cai border gate in general and cheap HaLong tour, this activity was formed after 1990, besides the results achieved, this activity Has revealed a number of problems such as: unfair travel business competition; Illegal foreign currency transactions, tax evasion, illegal goods sale, price channel; Tour guides use fake license or no license…
In the past time, the state management and handling of travel violations have been implemented such as administrative penalties and deprivation of the right to use business licenses of three tour operators; Inspecting 325 tour guides and 58 penalty violations; Requested to stop operation and closed 16 shop establishments, sanction 04 points, reclaim 09 decisions to recognize the standard points of tourism of the point of sale … With the active participation of local authorities Travel issues under the basic cost are eliminated, business travel business to welcome Chinese tourists through Mong Cai border gate has come to a stable.
Visitors are not uncomfortable with new method
From April 1 2017, Halong bay Management Board began to adjust the fee to visit the bay according to the tour points.
According to the new regulations, applicable fee for 5 routes on Halong Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay will be:
– Day Cruise: VND 250,000/ pax (12$)
– Night Cruise service: VND 500,000 – 750,000/pax maximum 2 nights that doubled than the previous fare. Halong bay ticket expensive.
They have to plus with VND 40,000đ/pax for Tuan Chau Marina entrance fee.
At new fare, travelers will visit through these points: Thien Cung Cave, Dau Go Cave, Cho Da Islet, Dinh Huong Islet, Ga Choi Islet
Guests buy ticket to Halong bay at Tuan Chau International Marina
The adjustment of the fee to visit Halong bay makes many people think that it’s too expensive and wasteful for those who can not afford to go all the places.
According to reporter of Vietnamnet on April 1, after changing another method, there are 3 group of Vietnamese had to leave because of not enough funds to visit Halong bay.
A ticket salesman at Tuan Chau Port said that on April 2, a group of Vietnamese travelers also turn back due to not enough money to buy tickets.
Others are also surprised when the price increase twice; however, they had to accepted own to the deposit before, they would lose money ship unless they went.
Mr. Lam Van Long from Cao Bang said: The fare we looked for fare is different at Tuan Chau, which causes we visited less than expectation.
Dang Van Hung, the owner of a tourist boat at Tuan Chau Port, said that doubling the fare would make transportation more difficult. “We are looking for the solution, increasing fee lead to reduce the number of guests, which means both fee service and boat ticke could be higher. It’s supposed to be “hacking rate”, otherwise it’s considered to incur lose a trip”.