Tours gradually fill up
The tour market is gradually heating up rapidly. A representative of Paradise Vietnam said that the room occupancy rate on cruise ships staying overnight in Lan Ha Bay and Ha Long currently reaches about 70-75%, and many days have been fully booked.
Compared to the same period last year, the number of customers booking services during this year's holiday recorded positive growth, estimated at about 10-15%. Notably, the hotel segment has been fully booked quite early. With the current service booking speed, the entire system can reach maximum capacity before the holiday" - Mr. Nguyen Quoc Duy - Business Director of the yacht business - informed.
Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu - representative of Vitamin Tours & Events - said that the number of tour bookings during the holidays has reached about 75-80% of the plan, an increase of 15-20% compared to the same period last year. "Right from mid-March, demand has increased sharply. Some sea and island tours had to be closed early due to no suitable air tickets or out of high-standard hotel rooms" - a business representative shared.
Increasing self-sufficient tourism
Lao Dong's survey on popular routes shows that ticket prices on many routes have increased from 2-4 million VND compared to normal days, while good hours are no longer many. Especially on peak days April 30, one-way economy class tickets from Ho Chi Minh City to popular tourist destinations are about 1.9 million VND, special economy class is up to 2.7 million VND, and business class is about 4.3 million VND. Some good hour flights have run out of tickets, causing passenger choices to be significantly narrowed.
In the context of high airfares, package tours are gradually fully booked, and the trend of cost savings of tourists is increasingly clear. Accordingly, many people choose to travel independently and prioritize nearby destinations, convenient to travel by private car.
Ms. Anh Lan (40 years old, Hanoi) said: "This vacation, my family decided to drive ourselves from Hanoi down to the Central region, both proactively planning the itinerary and saving significant costs compared to flying. On the way, the whole family can also flexibly stop to visit and rest in many interesting destinations.
According to records, destinations 2-5 hours away from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City such as Sa Pa (Lao Cai), Ha Long (Quang Ninh), Ninh Binh, Da Lat, Phan Thiet (Lam Dong)... are becoming popular choices. The trend of "staycation" or short-day, flexible itinerary travel is also prioritized by many families.
Mr. Bui Thanh Tu - Marketing Director of Best Price Travel Company - said that cost pressure is causing tourism consumption behavior to have a clear shift.
High airfares have caused a part of customers to reconsider their plans, switching to domestic tourism, especially nearby destinations, which can be moved by themselves. This helps them save significant costs while still ensuring a relaxing experience," Mr. Tu commented.
Also according to Mr. Tu, the trend of self-sufficient tourism is becoming increasingly popular, especially with young groups and small families. Travel businesses adapt flexibly by launching air ticket and hotel room combos to serve tourists instead of package tours.
Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu believes that this change is not only temporary but can become a long-term trend.
When air travel costs increase, customers will gradually get used to choosing closer destinations. This also opens up opportunities for localities to develop short-day tourism products, suitable for self-sufficient groups of customers" - Mr. Hieu analyzed.
However, experts also note that nearby, convenient destinations may be overloaded during peak seasons.
