Tourists visit Hue Imperial City

Variety of scams

Once a victim of a scam using cheap tours, Ms. Hoang Lan (in Hanoi ) said that during the recent April 30 - May 1 holiday, she lost 10 million VND when she believed the advertisements of an account selling package tours on Facebook.

Ms. Lan said: “They appeared to be very professional, had clear images and information, and the tour prices and accompanying services were more competitive than other agencies I researched. Seeing that all the information seemed trustworthy, I transferred the money, but when the travel date was near, the phone was unreachable. That was when I realized I had been scammed.”

During long holidays, the demand for travel increases. Taking advantage of tourists’ psychology, many subjects carry out tricks to scam customers, including inviting tourists to buy cheap tours or launching attractive promotional programs for advertising while in reality, it is not as advertised…

Tourists with the mentality of saving money are often deceived when choosing and "hunting" for cheap tours. The common form of the scam is that the subjects post advertisements on social networking sites such as Facebook, Zalo, websites impersonating reputable travel companies to sell travel packages at much cheaper prices than the actual prices of the companies. After consulting on the service packages, the subjects ask the customers to transfer a deposit of 30 - 50% of the total amount to be paid. When the customers contact, they find out that they have been blocked or disconnected.

Mr. Nguyen Thai Hoa, Chief Inspector of the Department of Tourism, said that the tourism industry always strives to build a safe, friendly, and attractive tourism environment and strengthens control, ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of tourists. However, in reality, there are still many very sophisticated scams that appear, taking advantage of the gullibility of tourists, luring them into "traps".

Experiencing Tam Giang lagoon is one of the tours booked by many tourists during the September 2nd holiday this year.

The September 2 holiday is approaching. According to forecasts, the number of tourists will increase sharply during the National Day holiday on September 2 this year. To ensure the legitimate rights and interests of tourists when using tourism services, the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has also issued notes and recommendations to tourists. According to Mr. Hoa, to avoid being scammed or having their rights affected when traveling, tourists' caution is still a very necessary factor. Some violations that the tourism industry has noted for tourists to proactively prevent are doing tourism business without meeting business conditions, not having a domestic or international travel business license or not maintaining business conditions during operation; discriminating against tourists, competing for tourists, forcing tourists to buy goods and services. In addition, there are violations in advertising the wrong type and class of tourist accommodation establishments that have been recognized by competent State agencies.

The Inspectorate of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recommends that when detecting violations, organizations and individuals are requested to promptly provide information to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Department of Culture and Sports, the Department of Tourism in localities and the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism via the hotline from the landline number 024.39437610 or mobile phone number 0904.342.536 during office hours.

"Tourists can reflect, complain, and denounce violations 24/7 via email address: [email protected]. "For tourists coming to Hue, the Department Inspectorate always receives feedback from tourists. If violations or phenomena that negatively affect the image of local tourism are detected and need to be reflected, tourists can contact the hotline number 0234.3501111 or the tourist support hotline 0234.3828288," said Mr. Nguyen Thai Hoa, Chief Inspector of the Department of Tourism.

Many recommendations for tourists

Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Director of the Department of Tourism, said that the September 2nd holiday this year lasts 4 days and is also the last long holiday of the year. This is also the time when the summer tourist season ends, many parents also take their children to travel before officially entering the new school year. The provincial tourism industry has prepared conditions to serve tourists, mobilized travel businesses and service providers to build more tour and experience products in Hue. In addition, it is recommended that businesses increase human resources and pay attention to motivating staff to be ready to serve customers attentively. Encourage businesses to regularly share with partners and tourists information about products and services, festivals and events in Hue for tourists during this holiday on the Department of Tourism's information channels (information page: visithue.vn and social networking platforms with a common identification address: Visit Hue on Facebook, Tiktok, Zalo, Instagram, ...). In addition, plans and measures are also developed to review and strengthen inspection and control to ensure safety and satisfaction for tourists.

Advise guests on accommodations and travel services

According to the recommendations of the tourism industry, in addition to the role of the industry and functional forces, to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of tourists when using tourism services, it is necessary to carefully research information about tourism packages, especially tourism packages with cheaper prices than usual, and choose tourism service providers that ensure conditions according to legal regulations: Having a business registration certificate, domestic and international travel business license, decision to recognize the class of tourist accommodation facilities issued by competent state agencies...

Tourists also need to proactively reconfirm the information in the travel contract (booking confirmation, service quality, facilities for tourist accommodation; tour program, tour guide...).

Experience shows that tourists should also access official information channels, instructions and recommendations from relevant authorities and localities. In addition, they can rely on reviews and feedback from the tourist community to make decisions about choosing the right tour.

Article and photos: HUU PHUC