Travel firms report strong rise in Tet tours

The number of travelers booking tours for the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday has increased by some 30%, though prices this year are also some 30% higher, tour operators said.
Some major travel companies such as Saigontourist, Vietravel and TST Tourist said the number of tourists putting their names down for their tours have increased by 30%, and most travelers this year made registrations earlier than usual. Several of their tours have been fully booked and were closed weeks ago.
Dang Trung Nghia, deputy general director of Fiditour, said the number of travelers booking both domestic and outbound tours at his company had risen by 30% compared to the year-ago-period.
“This year, travelers bought New Year tours quite early on. We have sold out both the New Year tours and Tet tours from the beginning this month,” he said.
Registrations for Tet tours at Fiditour to date has risen some 30%, especially tours to long-haul destinations like Turkey, Europe, Australia, and the U.S., with almost all having been fully booked. “We expect to serve approximately 15,000 visitors for both domestic and outbound tours,” he told the Daily.
Tour prices this year increase by between 10% and 40%, which tour operators attribute to higher service prices by their partners.
Thieu Quang Tien, an executive at Lys Travel, said the price of tours to Thailand rose by between 30% and 60%. “If the tours to Thailand normally cost some US$328, these tours during Tet rise to between US$438 and US$538,” he said.
This year, more outbound tourists choose long-haul destinations such as Japan, Korea, Europe, America, and India. Tran Thi Ngoc Thao, a representative from TST Tourist, explained that travelers had become familiar with nearby destinations in the neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, “so they choose the farther destinations to discover.”
However, some companies that seek to explore new markets for travelers do not find the picture quite rosy.
Hoang Anh, a tour coordinator at Youth Tourist Company, said: “Tours to Hong Kong are selling slowly, but tours to Australia are almost canceled due to high costs coupled with complicated visa procedures.”
Travel firms also face tougher competition from profiteers who seek to cash in on the high season, as Tet is considered the busiest season of the year for travel. Many travel agents or companies without licenses for doing international travel business still come forth to hold tours and woo customers, they said.
Therefore, customers are advised to only book tours with liable and prestigious travel firms to have quality services.