Airfares increase sharply, accounting for more than 50% of tour prices
The Hung Kings Commemoration Day holiday and April 30 - January 1 holidays have been taking place close together for the past 5 years, creating conditions for many tourists to actively take 1-2 more days off, forming a 9-day long holiday. This has caused the demand for travel to increase sharply, especially on domestic routes.
According to surveys, the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route continues to maintain high prices. On the direction from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, round-trip airfares in the period April 24-26 range from 5.4 - 6.7 million VND/person; similar prices are also recorded on the opposite direction. For passengers who choose to go to the peak period April 30 - May 3, the popular ticket price is from 5.2 - 6.2 million VND/person, although there are still many flight times to choose from.
Other tourist routes also recorded significant increases. Hanoi - Da Nang round-trip ticket prices in the period April 30 - May 3 ranged from 4.2 - 6.8 million VND/person, an increase of about 20% compared to mid-month. Hanoi - Phu Quoc route from 7.6 - 8.1 million VND/person; Hanoi - Nha Trang from 6.5 - 10.8 million VND/person and the number of beautiful flights is no longer many.
In the opposite direction, the routes Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi are priced from 5.5 - 6.8 million VND/person; Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang from 4.4 - 6.1 million VND/person. Meanwhile, if choosing to go right on the occasion of Hung Kings Commemoration Day (April 24-26), ticket prices continue to be high, the number of empty seats is limited, especially during convenient hours.
Faced with increased cost pressure, Mr. Nguyen Van Nhi, representative of Postours & Event, said: "Airline ticket prices account for over 50% of the tour price. Therefore, the increase in airline ticket prices has a significant impact on the tourism market.
According to him, when transportation costs increase, customers' travel behavior also changes significantly: "The increase in travel costs makes tourists hesitate in choosing travel. Many tourists choose other options such as self-sufficient travel, shorter or closer travel than planned.
Representatives of this business also said that currently travel companies have not yet adjusted tour prices for products that have been signed before because there has been no notice of surcharge from the airline. However, if input costs continue to fluctuate, the possibility of price adjustment is difficult to avoid.
International tourists are afraid to go far, Vietnamese tourism seeks opportunities from near markets
High airfares also affect the demand and travel choices of international tourists. Mr. Nguyen Cong Hoan, General Director of Flamigo Redtours, said that the current tourism market is not only affected by seasonal factors but also by global fluctuations.
The complicated war situation will greatly affect international tourism demand, not only for Vietnamese tourists going abroad but also for international tourists coming to Vietnam," Mr. Hoan said.
According to him, factors such as political instability and the risk of widespread conflict make tourists tend to limit long journeys, especially intercontinental flights. "Tourists have a mentality of limiting long journeys, avoiding congestion when air traffic is affected," he said.
In addition, many international routes are currently dependent on transit points such as the Middle East. When airlines operating in this area are affected, the entire flight system to further areas is also affected in a chain reaction, making tourists hesitant.
Another important factor is the high increase in gasoline prices, leading to an increase in aviation operating costs, thereby pushing up airfares. This directly increases travel costs and affects the general demand of the market.
However, in challenges, opportunities still exist. Mr. Hoan believes that Vietnam can take advantage of the trend of shifting to near destinations: "If distant markets such as Europe and America face difficulties, then near markets such as Northeast Asia and ASEAN will consider Vietnam as a more convenient, reasonably costly and safe destination.
Reality over the past time shows that markets such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China or Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines are bringing a stable source of tourists to Vietnam tourism.
In addition, Vietnam still maintains a competitive advantage thanks to reasonable ground service costs.
“Hotel, food, transportation... costs of Vietnam are not inferior to countries in the region but are cheaper, so when the price level increases, destinations with reasonable costs will have a competitive advantage,” Mr. Hoan emphasized.
In the context of continued fluctuations in aviation costs, taking advantage of the near market and maintaining price advantages is considered an important direction for Vietnam's tourism industry to maintain its recovery and growth momentum.
