1,000 hotels in Da Lat shut as Covid keeps away tourists

Only a few mid- and high-priced hotels in the Tuyen Lam Lake tourist area, seven kilometers from downtown, remain in operation, but their occupancy rates are only 6-7 percent now and could get worse, according to a report by the Lam Dong Province Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Almost all hotels are likely to close by next week, it said.

Lam Dong has not yet reported any Covid cases in the current wave that began in April, but authorities have closed non-essential businesses like bars, karaoke parlors and amusement places and banned outdoor sports as the pandemic shows no signs of slowing in the south.

There have been 12,788 infections in 48 of the country’s 63 cities and provinces.

Da Lat in the Central Highlands is popular for its year-round cool climate, green pine forests, misty landscapes, and architectural gems from the colonial era.

It received seven million tourists in 2019.