Foreign tours overwhelm domestic tours during Lunar New Year holiday

During the Lunar New Year holiday, the tourism market is quite bustling, with foreign tours dominating domestic tours.

Tourists flock to register for foreign travel

After receiving her Tet bonus, Ms. Mai Hoa, an office worker in Tay Ho district ( Hanoi ), decided to book a tour for her family to travel abroad.

"Since October, when the 9-day Tet holiday was announced, I had planned to travel, but I had to wait for the Tet bonus to decide. During the year, my husband is a civil servant and it is difficult to take leave to travel abroad, so Tet holiday is the 'golden' time for the whole family to have their first trip abroad to Singapore - Malaysia. One of the reasons for choosing to travel to Southeast Asian countries is because we don't have to worry about visa procedures," Ms. Mai Hoa shared.

Passengers book tours in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: HT

According to travel agencies in Hanoi, registration for foreign tours accounts for 80% of the total number of customers booking tours, while domestic tours are 20%. Tet tour prices to Japan range from 34 - 36 million VND/person; tour to Korea: 20 - 22 million VND/person; tour to China 14 - 17 million VND/person; tour to Thailand, Singapore - Malaysia costs 11 million VND/person...

Mr. Lai Van Quan, Director of Focus Travel Company Limited (Focustours), said: For long-distance tours involving visa procedures, travel agencies close early from the month before Tet due to high ticket prices. For tours to Southeast Asian countries that do not require visas, agencies will still accept customers until the plane tickets are full.

This year, some travel companies also offer special incentives to corporate customers who book private group tours, including subsidizing the cost of filming and taking photos of events; composing songs for businesses and designing professional event identity sets.

For group tours for individual guests, additional interesting experiences or improved accommodation services are offered to create memorable memories for visitors.

Sharing about the situation of booking Tet tours, Mr. Le Cong Nang, CEO of WonderTour Travel Company, said: "With a longer Tet holiday, the tourism market is likely to explode, especially in festival tours and spring trips. Places like the Northeast with its blooming flower landscapes promise to attract a large number of young tourists and families. However, domestic tourism is still facing a difficult situation when the hotel occupancy rate in many areas is only average or even below 40%.

In addition, the rise in international travel is also creating a fiercely competitive landscape. Decree 168/CP will have a certain impact on the whole industry, as many self-drive car rental companies are more careful in handing over cars to customers. This is likely to boost interest in package tours from 29 seats, making it easier for tourists to access in a legal context.

Regarding tourism activities during Tet this year, Mr. Bui Thanh Tu, Marketing Director of BestPrice Travel Company, said: "Tet tourism is quite vibrant in the outbound market (foreign tourists), accounting for about 80% of package tours compared to domestic package tours. In particular, the most noticeable are tours to China. Meanwhile, other domestic services such as hotels, restaurants, and entertainment are also vibrant and account for a large market share. Demand is increasing closer to Tet, but the ability to meet it is gradually limited because hotels and resorts are sold out, especially in hotels and resorts near Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City such as Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh, and Phan Thiet."

Mr. Phung Quang Thang, Vice President of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said: Because domestic online service booking applications are more convenient, tourists often proactively book online. This leads to a decrease in booking tours through travel agencies, but in reality, visitors to domestic tourist destinations are still increasing. The problem for local authorities is how to manage destinations effectively to avoid overload. Meanwhile, the number of tours to foreign countries through travel agencies is still high because services must be booked in advance. According to statistics from the Vietnam Tourism Association, in 2024, more than 11 million Vietnamese people will travel abroad, of which 4.5 million will travel to China. This shows that destinations in China, prices and services are many choices for Vietnamese tourists.

Beware of year-end travel scams

Taking advantage of the increased demand for travel during Tet, especially the increasingly popular services of booking tours and travel combos via social networks, scammers have used many sophisticated tricks to appropriate property, especially through impersonating reputable travel companies.

Tourists visit the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam.

According to the Department of Information Security (Ministry of Information and Communications), the scammers' methods are often to impersonate reputable travel companies or create fake companies. Fraudulent companies often do not provide addresses, phone numbers, or business license information. The subjects post a series of tour advertisements via social networking sites, text messages, or through calls from unknown sources; offer tours at extremely low prices compared to the market and require full or large advance payments without a clear contract or without full information about the tour company.

The Information Security Department recommends that people should be cautious of surprisingly cheap tours on social networks, especially during Tet. People should check the business license, ensure that the travel company has a legal operating license and is licensed by the authorities.

Look at reviews from previous customers and research the company's history. Only pay through secure methods and never send money through shady channels.

Mr. Bui Thanh Tu said that recently, BestPrice himself was also a victim when someone used the company's international travel business license, then changed the name to scam customers. Giving advice to customers, Mr. Tu shared: "When booking a service, in addition to carefully checking the information about the business, customers can learn about the business's travel license on quanlyluhanh.vn to verify their identity before transferring payment. If you receive a flight ticket code or a room reservation, call the airline or hotel directly to check."

Recently, with concerns about online fraud increasing, especially in the field of low-cost travel, Mr. Le Cong Nang recommends that consumers need to equip themselves with some important skills to protect themselves. First, customers should choose businesses with clear travel licenses and check information through the official website. In addition, searching for reviews from previous customers on Google or official press sites will help tourists have an objective view of service quality. When deciding to register for a tour, tourists require a clear contract and documents confirming the company's payment. Customers should also pay attention to avoid paying through personal accounts without authorization from the business, to minimize risks. Moreover, booking tours early not only helps tourists avoid the situation of tour shortages but also creates an opportunity to learn carefully and make the right decision.

According to VNA

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Source: http://www.baohoabinh.com.vn/276/197673/Tour-ngoai-ap-dao-tour-noi-dip-nghi-Tet-Nguyen-dan-At-Ty.htm