Travel firms offer promotions for summer tours

Tour bookings are expected to surge by 10-15 percent and tour fares by 5-10 percent, according to travel firms.



Tran Doan The Duy, deputy general director of Vietravel, said that tours costing 7-12 million VND (230-513 USD) have attracted more customers.



“Tour costs remain one of the big concerns of customers,” Duy said. “Most customers search for information about destinations and tour services online before heading to tour operators for booking.”



Vietravel plans to spend 12.5 billion VND (534,300 USD) for promotions with a target of attracting 285,000 customers this summer.



Tran The Dung, deputy director of The He Tre Travel, said summer is an ideal time for traveling anywhere in the country and tour operators have designed tours offering new travel experiences for customers.



Tours with a price of 10-11 million VND (427-470 USD) for five to six days are favoured by young and middle-aged customers.



Tran Thi Bao Thu, marketing and communications director of Fiditour, said the company began planning new tour products, especially domestic tours, at the end of last year.



Many summer tours to popular destinations are designed for Free & Easy travelers.



Tour operators said it is difficult to offer stable tour fares during busy travel season when air fares and prices of hospitality services surge.



Entertainment, shopping and food and beverage services at some destinations have failed to develop in line with the development of hotels and resorts, Thu said.



Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Travelink, said promotion programmes for domestic tours are not as attractive as outbound tours, resulting in an increase in sale of outbound tours.



Tour fares to the Republic of Korea, for example, fell to 12-13 million VND (512-555 USD) this year from 16-17 million VND (683-726 USD) last year due to a drop in air fares and incentive policies for tour groups of 40 people and above, he said.