Demand for tours to Laos peaking, tour operators refuse guests

Vietnam’s U-23 football squad reached the finals of the 25th SEA Games on Monday, causing local tour operators to refuse new bookings to Laos because of the lack of hotel rooms and tickets for the final match in the neighboring country.
Fans are flying from Hanoi and HCMC to the central city of Danang and then entering Laos by car or bus. For this reason, travel firms in Danang are busy during the SEA Games.
When the U-23 boys beat Malaysia some days before, more people asked for package tours of all travel services and tickets to watch the semifinals between Vietnam and Singapore on Monday. But the highest demand came on Tuesday after the local team beat Singapore.
Cao Tri Dung, director of Danang-based Vitours, told the Daily on Tuesday that the company could not serve the surging need of tourists. “Too many people are asking for the tour this morning but we can sell tours for 20 tourists only and have refused many guests. We don’t have enough hotel rooms and tickets for tourists.”
Dung said Vitours had sold package tours for over 1,000 local tourists to Laos for the SEA Games. Of them, around 600 people will watch the final match. The last tour to Laos starts today.
“The guests are increasing more than expected thanks to the U-23 football squad. We booked hotel rooms and tickets one year ago but we didn’t order more tickets for the final match,” Dung said.
Meanwhile, the Hanoi branch of Vietravel said it had cooperated with Vietnam Airlines to launch a chartered flight to Vientiane. The package price is VND8 million per person, inclusive of airfare, tickets to the final game, food and tour services, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
The last SEA Games tour of Saigontourist from Danang started on Tuesday. Eighty tourists will watch both the men’s and women’s matches in Laos.
“All tours sold out Monday afternoon but tourists still call us,” Nguyen Thanh Luu, director of the branch.
The company is serving 800 tourists during the SEA Games. Some guests who could not book package tours were asking tour operators to arrange hotel rooms and transportation services only.
“Hotels in Vientiane are fully booked so it’s very difficult to find rooms for tourists, or can’t find,” Luu said.
HCMC-based Viking Travel and Media Company is taking local tourists to Laos via Cambodia. The last tour from HCMC leaves today.
Tran Xuan Hung, company director, said 60 tourists of the company had arrived in Vientiane on Tuesday and 50 more would arrive today.
At Fiditourist in HCMC, SEA Games tours are all sold out.