According to the Labor Law, this year’s April 30th-May 1st holiday will only last for 2 weekdays. Despite the short holiday, some families still plan to travel far due to concerns that airfares and service costs will increase significantly during the peak summer season in May-June.
High airfare during the holiday. Photo: Lucas Tran.
A survey on 18th March shows that flight bookings from Hanoi for tourism purposes are currently “hot”. For example, round-trip tickets from Hanoi to Phu Quoc starting from 27th April reached nearly 8.6 million VND. The number of seats on flights from the capital is gradually running out, with one-way fares for Vietjet Air and Vietnam Airlines reaching over 4 million VND and 5 million VND, respectively.
Meanwhile, round-trip tickets from Hanoi to Nha Trang are also very expensive, with prices over 5 million VND only for “unpopular” flight hours such as late afternoon and evening. For morning and early afternoon flights that allow passengers more rest time, round-trip fares can go up to 7 million VND.
Flight from Hanoi to Quy Nhon also has a significant increase in ticket prices. According to statistics, the cheapest round-trip flights with departure on April 27th and return on May 1st are priced at 5.2 million VND.
For travelers who want to travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi to visit relatives and explore the culture and history of the capital, airfare is also an important factor to consider. Vietnam Airlines has listed the starting price for round-trip flights on this route at 6.5 million VND for economy class, while economy saver class is currently fully booked. In addition, round-trip fares for Bamboo Airways and Vietjet Air are now close to 6 million VND.
Mr. Thanh, who works at a flight ticket agency in Hoang Mai district, Hanoi, explained that airfare has increased significantly because in the same flight, airlines will offer tickets at different price ranges from low to high. In the case of running out of cheap ticket segments like the current situation, travelers will have to buy higher-priced segments.
In addition, the airlines have not announced plans to increase capacity to provide services during the peak season. But if they do, ticket prices are also unlikely to decrease due to the significant impact of the Pratt&Whitney engine recall on Airbus planes on the airlines’ operational capacity.
The high cost of airfare makes people hesitate to travel during the holiday.
Ms. Mai, who currently works in Dong Da district, intends to travel to Nha Trang, she said: “It’s only the beginning of summer, and airfares are already around 5-7 million VND, so traveling with the family will be very expensive. I am considering changing the itinerary to closer destinations to Hanoi, just need to travel by road.”
Some high-quality accommodations are worried about low occupancy during the holiday.
Because most tourists have to spend money on airfares, they tend to save money when it comes to destinations, focusing only on budget accommodations. Currently, a representative of a 4-star resort on Suoi May Street, Phu Quoc Island (Kien Giang Province) said that the occupancy rate during the holiday period was only 20%, a decrease of about 5% compared to the same period last year.
On the other hand, the demand for high-quality accommodations in Hanoi has not reached expectations. For example, a representative from Sheraton Hanoi Hotel said that the number of room bookings for the April 30th-May 1st holiday only reached 25% of the hotel’s capacity. Although this number is twice as high as the same period last year, there is still work to be done to meet the planned booking capacity.
To ensure revenue in the first half of 2023, accommodation facilities and travel companies are proactively offering promotions to stimulate tourists during the April 30th-May 1st holiday. As tour prices may increase due to transportation costs, these businesses will start early sales of summer products while expanding their range of products to attract consumers.
