A great opportunity for tourism.

On April 18th, Ms. Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, Deputy General Director of Vietravel Tourism Company, stated that despite the late confirmation of the April 30th and May 1st holiday amidst high airfare prices, the company is still striving to offer reasonably priced tour packages to stimulate demand.

Affordable tours avoiding peak hours.

Many travel companies book services in advance, and airline tickets are also reserved 3-6 months or even a year in advance, so short-term fluctuations in airfare do not significantly impact tour prices.

"Early morning or late evening flights at Vietravel Airlines, Vietnam Airlines , Vietjet, etc., all have very good prices on their systems. Airlines have flexible pricing policies, with good prices if booked well in advance of holidays or in groups… so if customers choose to avoid peak hours, the price difference can be up to 50%," said Ms. Phuong Hoang.

Du khách tham quan chùa Bà Thiên Hậu ở quận 5, TP HCM Ảnh: LAM GIANG — Tourists visit the Thien Hau Temple in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: LAM GIANG

Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, said that many businesses expressed regret because if the 5-day holiday plan had been announced earlier, businesses would have been more proactive, especially in promoting their tourism during the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival.

"Although businesses always offer 3, 4, and 5-day tour packages to cater to domestic and international travel needs, as well as longer packages, with prior planning, businesses can market to customers earlier, thereby increasing the number of product registrations," said Ms. Anh Hoa.

According to Mr. Nguyen Minh Man, Director of Communications and Marketing at TSTtourist, due to the approaching announcement of the number of holidays and tour departure dates, the company only has enough time to serve tourists with domestic tours, tours by road, and Southeast Asian tours. In return, demand will increase for individual services or independent travel, with destinations near Ho Chi Minh City such as Long Hai, Phuoc Hai, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, and Phan Thiet expected to attract a large number of visitors.

Train and car tours are becoming popular.

To meet the anticipated increase in customer demand after the April 30th and May 1st holiday is extended to 5 days, Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu, Director of Communications at Vietluxtour Travel Company, said the company has added more overseas tours with suitable durations and reasonable costs such as Thailand, Singapore - Malaysia, Taiwan (China)... The tourism market's supply capacity is quite large, so there is no concern about businesses being unprepared or lacking products to serve the April 30th and May 1st holidays.

"During long holidays, tourist demand will be evenly distributed across domestic and international travel routes, so there will be no overload of services at destinations, especially domestic ones," said Ms. Bao Thu.

Many other travel companies report that customers have shifted significantly from air travel to land-based tours. Ms. Doan Thi Thanh Tra, Director of Communications and Marketing at Saigontourist Travel Service Company, stated that this is the first time the company has introduced a series of city tours in 18 provinces and cities with branches, including Can Tho, Ben Tre, Buon Ma Thuot, Hue, and Da Nang. Tourists can explore their local cities in a more intimate and practical way. These tours are also suitable for travelers from further away who want to experience more of a specific destination.

Mr. Pham Quy Huy, Director of Kiwi Travel Company, emphasized that many people are exploring destinations within the city or within a 200km radius of Ho Chi Minh City, utilizing their available personal transportation. The company is also increasing tours that utilize cars, trains, or a combination of air travel and train return… both reducing tour costs for customers and adding more experiences.

According to Ms. Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, Vietravel is also promoting train tours, which have been quite well received by customers. For many tourists, this is a novel experience, combining tours with heritage sites, exploring the culture and cuisine of Central Vietnam…

Taking advantage of the availability of cars, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tan, General Director of Saco Travel Company, informed that they have just added about 100 more cars for the April 30th holiday and are currently fully booked. Some tour routes to the Central Highlands, such as Pleiku (Gia Lai), which previously involved air travel, are now entirely by car due to high airfare prices.

In this context, not only travel agencies but also destinations near Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi need to proactively meet the increased demand from tourists traveling nearby at the last minute.

"Bringing down" airfare prices with night flights.

Vietnam Airlines announced that it is adding 2,000 flights after 9 PM daily on routes between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon, etc. This move provides more options for passengers amidst reduced capacity due to the impact of aircraft engine recalls and recent increases in airfares. The airline is also offering many economy class tickets (from VND 1,724,000/segment or VND 1,929,000/segment, including taxes and fees) for the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City route, as well as economy class tickets on routes between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon, etc.

Vietjet announced that during the Hung Kings Commemoration Day, April 30th, and May 1st holidays, the airline added 86,000 seats, equivalent to over 450 flights, on tourist routes, increasing the frequency of flights to and from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Nha Trang, and other destinations.