Tourists in a Spin
As early as when the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs proposed a change in the May Day holiday, the Do Tuyen family (Thai Binh City) had been eagerly planning their vacation for the long break. However, as they started researching destinations and booking hotels, they found themselves in a quandary. “Initially, my family planned to go to Hai Phong for a two-day ‘food tour’. But then we shifted our focus to Da Nang, since it’s rare for our family to have an extended vacation like this. But when we checked the flight booking apps, we were shocked to see that the airfares were skyrocketing as we got closer to the holiday.”
Tuyen shared that even in economy class with the discounts offered by booking apps, the round-trip airfare for their family of four (two adults and two children) had already exceeded 13 million VND. This was almost double the price compared to a week before the holiday. Furthermore, finding a hotel room was also challenging, as the ones with good views or close to the city center were already fully booked.
“So, my family decided to switch to Sam Son Beach (Thanh Hoa), traveling by sleeper bus and staying at a homestay near the beach,” added Tuyen.
The change in plans has made it difficult for tourists to find accommodation.
The high airfares were also a concern for the Vu Hai family (Vinh Long). Hai said her family had planned to take a trip to Sa Pa as soon as they heard about the five-day break. However, they made a last-minute change because the round-trip airfare for their family of five during the holiday would exceed 15 million VND, excluding the cost of transportation from Vinh Long to Ho Chi Minh City and from Noi Bai Airport to Sa Pa.
“Although the kids were very excited, we had to postpone our trip to the North because the expenses had become too high. Instead, we decided to vacation in Vung Tau, which has both beaches and many interesting attractions. Fortunately, we were still able to book a hotel room for the family. Now, my husband and I are planning our itinerary and deciding on places to eat,” said Hai.
For Manh Hung (Cau Giay, Hanoi), the only change in his travel plans was extending his trip from three to five days. Hung mentioned: “Since a family vacation had been on my mind since the beginning of the year, thankfully, I wasn’t affected much by the airfares. My extended family has over 20 people, so I approached travel agencies and managed to ‘hunt’ for a discounted group tour. There were some issues with extending the hotel booking and changing the flight tickets, but I didn’t have to pay too much extra. This just goes to show how important it is to book tours in advance.”
Tour Package Prices Vary Widely
According to tourism businesses, for the upcoming May 30 – May 1 holiday period, tourists appear to prefer traveling abroad, especially on tours that can be done by road. The change in holiday dates did not put much pressure on tour operators, as most of them had already prepared “fixed” package tours with their own budget set aside from the beginning of the year.
Nguyen Thi Trang, Head of Domestic and Outbound at Best Price Travel, said: “The rate of customers booking international tours, particularly for the May 30 holiday, at our company has increased by over 30% compared to last year. Best Price Travel always has several long-duration tours available for the May 30 holiday. This is based on our forecast, considering that the current trend among customers is to book tours not too early, and they also make purchasing decisions quite quickly.”
“In light of the rising domestic airfares, instead of air-based tours, we are focusing on operating tours to nearby destinations via road, such as Ho Chi Minh City – My Tho – Can Tho for 2 days and 1 night at a price of around 3,050,000 VND per person; Dalat for 3 days and 2 nights at a price of around 5,060,000 VND per person for guests departing from Ho Chi Minh City. In Hanoi, tours to Halong Bay for 2 days and 1 night are priced at 2,050,000 VND per person; Ha Giang for 3 days and 2 nights at around 3,350,000 VND per person have garnered quite a bit of interest and bookings because they are cost-effective and convenient to travel to,” Trang added.
Numerous tourism companies have prepared summer travel promotions.
Similarly, at Postum Travel, To Van Them, Head of Sales, said that before the official announcement of the five-day holiday, sales of international tours were quite slow. However, afterward, inquiries from customers surged, so popular destinations like Thailand, Singapore-Malaysia, Phoenix Ancient Town, South Korea, Dubai with tours ranging from 5 to 7 days … filled up instantly. Domestic tours to Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, and Dalat also “sold out” because additional low-cost air tickets could not be acquired.
“The change in schedule required us to adapt quickly to promptly secure services at the destinations, arrange vehicles, and provide tour guides for the groups. Additionally, the company also increased its staff to handle services at the destinations. Currently, we have stopped accepting guests for both domestic and international air-based tours due to being fully booked and are only accepting guests for road-based tours of 2 to 4 days,” informed Them.
Nguyen Hai Yen, Deputy Director of HonGai Tours Quang Ninh, said that the summer of 2024 is expected to attract a large number of tourists to Ha Long with the Carnaval festival on April 28. Quang Ninh is also a convenient location near Hanoi, with easy access by road, so there will be a surge in demand for local services during the event. However, tourism operators have backup plans and a variety of service options to meet customer needs.
Yen stated: “Partnering with tour operators helps create competitive group packages in terms of price and quality in the market. This approach helps participating companies reach customers more easily, ensuring profitability, and sharing risks during times of economic hardship. At the same time, having new products available gives customers more options to choose from as alternatives to destinations directly affected by airfares.”
