Prioritize short-day travel, save costs
Instead of booking services early like in previous years, many tourists tend to "explore" and decide close to the departure date.
Ms. Vu Thi Loan (Cau Giay ward, Hanoi) and her family have discussed travel plans for the holidays many times. After considering domestic destinations in the Northern region, her family has not yet decided to book tours.
My family and my children are all grown up, understand technology, so we can book hotels and transportation ourselves. However, I still want to go on tours to explore more landmarks and unique features that I have never known. Although I have decided to travel to Ninh Binh for 3 days and 2 nights, my family has not yet booked a tour yet" - Ms. Loan shared.
According to her, the September 2nd holiday is both a time for the family to gather before the children enter the new school year, and an opportunity to visit grandparents. The family only plans to go for a few days and then return to their hometown, and booking a tour is an additional consideration, more suitable if going in large numbers with siblings and friends.
As a tour guide with nearly 20 years of experience, Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh - Vietravel Hanoi Branch Tour Guide - assessed that holiday tours depend on the schedule of each family. Some customers arranged their work early, while many programs were booked urgently. However, booking tours close to the date may affect service quality and tourist satisfaction.
According to Mr. Tuan Anh, booking tours early helps customers have more choices of hotels, especially 4-5 star standards. Conversely, if booking late, customers may not have enough rooms or have to be divided into groups in many different hotels.
Regarding consumer trends, Mr. Tuan Anh said that tourists this year still prioritize domestic tourism but tend to be economical. In recent trips to Quang Binh, customers who previously often chose airplanes have now switched to rail or road to reduce costs.
Holiday travel psychology
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Loc - Head of Business Department of Group 02 - Dat Viet Tourism Service Trading Investment Joint Stock Company (Dat Viet Tour) frankly acknowledged that the tour business situation is facing many difficulties.
I am in charge of delegations from agencies and organizations, but the amount of access and signing of new programs is almost non-existent. In the retail segment, although there are less than two weeks until the September 2nd holiday, the number of tours sold to date has only reached about 50%, although this level is already slightly higher than many other units in the market" - Mr. Loc expressed.
According to Mr. Loc, tourists currently prioritize destinations near Ho Chi Minh City such as Mui Ne, Ho Tram, Long Hai to be able to travel by personal vehicles. Meanwhile, long-distance routes such as: Nha Trang, Da Lat are in a state of sluggishness.
Customers also tend not to finalize tours early but to survey prices, wait until close to holidays to watch discount programs of 20-30% or livestream to stimulate demand on social networks before deciding.
