A quick survey on the online airline ticket sales websites of airlines during the April 30 and May 1 holidays on all domestic routes shows that ticket prices are expensive and scarce , many flights have been closed online , and flights cannot be found . It is forecasted that this situation will not only occur during the peak of the holiday but will last in the coming time .
Faced with the above situation, travel companies and tourists must flexibly switch to road or rail for their trips.
Ticket prices hit a peak
Looking around online to buy some domestic flight tickets during the holiday, you can see that ticket prices are much higher than the same time last year. For the Hanoi - Da Nang flight during this holiday, Vietjet offers a round-trip ticket price of 3.7-7 million VND, Vietnam Airlines offers a round-trip ticket price of 4.7-9.5 million VND, Bamboo Airways has very few tickets left with prices ranging from 4.3-9 million VND.
Flights from Hanoi to Tuy Hoa cost from 7.2 million VND, excluding taxes and fees. Flights from Hanoi to Phu Quoc on April 27th by Vietjet cost from 3.3-5.5 million VND/ticket, while Vietnam Airlines has a higher price of over 7 million VND/ticket. For the return flight on May 1st, Vietjet has run out of tickets, while Vietnam Airlines has the cheapest ticket for 4 million VND, while the rest are business class tickets at 8-13 million VND/ticket.
The reason for the high price and scarcity of air tickets, according to the explanation of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, is that the engine manufacturer must recall the PW1100 engine on Airbus A321Neo aircraft to fix the error, starting from September 2023. This has caused the Vietnamese aviation industry to fall into a serious shortage of aircraft. It is forecasted that it will not be until the end of 2026, or even early 2027, that Vietnamese airlines will complete the repair and return to normal operations.
This is one of the main reasons why airfares keep jumping and hitting new peaks. Travel agencies have a headache in their tour sales campaigns during the tourist season, and customers are also very cautious about air travel.
Comparing a pair of round-trip air tickets with a package tour to Thailand, we can see the difference and the absurdity. Many travel agencies are currently offering tours to Thailand for only 6.99 million VND for a 5-day, 4-night package, departing from Ho Chi Minh City (from April 25-29), staying at a 4-star hotel with many vouchers and incentives...
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| Passenger vans are a convenient means of transport for group travelers. Photo: QUYNH MAI |
Flexible means of transport and destination
The high cost and scarcity of airfares make it difficult for tourist destinations far from the country’s two central cities to attract visitors. Mr. Dang Hoang Vu, sales manager of Sao Mai Resort, said the most difficult thing right now is the issue of airfares, which are both high cost and scarce.
The advantages of the destination such as beautiful scenery, low cost, natural attractions and tour itinerary are also difficult to attract tourists, because the total cost of the trip is too high if traveling by air. Many times, due to necessity, visitors from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City to Tuy Hoa must go to Phu Cat airport (Binh Dinh) or Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa), then continue by bus, which is very inconvenient.
The increase in airfare has greatly affected the tour price, because it accounts for a large proportion of the tour price structure. Compared to domestic routes, international airfares have not increased; therefore, the total cost for a tour to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, etc. is not high compared to domestic tours, and is even cheaper.
In a context where it is difficult to change or improve air transport, Phu Yen travel companies and partners are shifting to neighboring markets with short distances that can be traveled by road or rail.
According to Mr. Nguyen Le Khang Cuong, Director of Hoa Xuong Rong Trading - Service and Tourism Company Limited (Joy Travel), the company is currently shifting to the markets of the southern provinces, Ho Chi Minh City, the Central region and the Central Highlands. With a distance of less than 500km, customers can travel more conveniently by car.
From Ho Chi Minh City or the southern provinces, visitors only need to sleep one night on a sleeper bus and arrive in Tuy Hoa early in the morning to start their journey. Or for the provinces in the Central Highlands, visitors only need to spend a half-hour to connect the great forest with the blue sea.
Individual travelers, groups of friends or families can be more flexible in their travel plans by private car, when shifting their travel direction to nearby destinations. “This holiday, my family plans to travel to Hanoi and the northern provinces.
However, in the context of the expensive airfare, we may switch to Phu Yen and travel by family car. This will not cost too much and we can still take advantage of the travel time to sightsee. Moreover, the sea has never been boring to us and this place has a pristine, peaceful beauty that is very suitable for a vacation", said Mr. Hoang Viet Phuong (Gia Lai province).
During the upcoming 30/4, 1/5 and summer holidays, we and our partners have secured many tourist groups from the Central Highlands, Central provinces, Ho Chi Minh City and the Southern provinces to visit the blue sea - white sand - golden sunshine of Phu Yen by road. For groups of tourists from afar, we advise using the train, which is also an interesting experience.
Mr. Nguyen Le Khang Cuong, Director of Joy Travel |
TRAN QUOI
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