Adventure tours with small numbers of people have been trending recently in Da Lat city in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong.

Adventure tours have become more popular among locals in Da Lat city.
(Photo: dulich.tuoitre.vn) 

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, visitors to Da Lat are skipping crowded, popular tourism spots.

This is the perfect time for local travel agencies to launch tours that involve overnight camping in pine forests, kayaking, and zip-line swinging, among other adventure activities.

Most of the sightseeing and camping tours often start at 3pm daily and end the next morning, with prices ranging from VND400,000 (US$18) to VND450,000 (US$20) per person. 

Tourists are offered a discount of 10 to 40% if they pursue more active activities. The discount aims to encourage groups of fewer than 15 people for adventure tours, which formerly were mostly embraced by foreigners.

According to the provincial People’s Committee, the number of visitors to Da Lat as of mid-May was 160,000, down more than 70% year-on-year.

Of the total, the number of foreign visitors was 1,800, down 95.7% year-on-year, while domestic visitors totalled 158,200, down more than 68% compared to 2019.

Da Lat, however, has witnessed a growing number of visitors in recent weekends. It is expected that by September, the number of tourists to Da Lat will reach 70% of the same period in 2019.

The Lam Dong Tourism Association plans to organise more night activities for visitors in an effort to lower the density of visitors during the day. The new plan will ensure safety during COVID-19 and increase tourism revenue for the province.