Oxalis, Phong Nha’s leading cave tour operator, has announced it may stop running excursions to both Nuoc Nut and Va grottos in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park due to an unexpected management fee increase in 2017.
According to company CEO Nguyen Chau A, reports Tuoi Tre, park management officials informed Oxalis in late January of a combined VND600,000 (US$26) hike in its environmental services, sightseeing and rangers’ surveillance fees.
For its part, Oxalis had already begun selling tour packages for the coming year to foreign travelers based on a fixed price, which did not account for the unexpected fee hike.
“With such a fee increase, our company will suffer losses and not be able to recoup our investment. We have also offered discounts to tourists since last year,” A told Tuoi Tre, adding that his company has spent more than VND1 billion (US$44,000) building pathways and installing safety equipment along its tour routes.
As a result, Oxalis is planning to discontinue its Nuoc Nut and Va grotto tours in May 2017 if the fee hike remains, withdrawing from the sites and removing any equipment installed in the vicinity.
Nguyen Van Ky, chair of the Quang Binh Province Tourism Association, also expressed his disapproval of the fee increase.
“The hike will bring about only a marginal increase to total revenues, but leave investors bewildered and dubious about the stability of the provincial administration’s policies, which may result in a waste of tourism resources,” Ky said, according to Tuoi Tre.
However park director Le Thanh Tinh argued that the price increase does not prevent Oxalis from earning profits. Tinh told the news outlet: “Several companies have agreed on higher fees for the right to provide tours to Va and Nuoc Nut grottos. We will accept it if Oxalis wishes to terminate the contract.”
Meanwhile, Quang Binh officials aim to welcome 3 million visitors in 2017, thanks in large part to the attraction of the caves. The provincial government recently found itself in hot water after rumors circulated online about renewed interest in the construction of a cable car leading to Son Doong, the world’s largest cave. Officials have since denied these rumors, stating there is no official plan to build such a system at this time.
[Photo via Huffington Post]
