Tourists take advantage of finalizing summer travel tickets
At the beginning of June, Ms. Tran Lan (Hanoi) decided to book a ticket for her family of 4 to Phu Quoc at the end of the month after many weeks of monitoring prices. The total cost of round-trip tickets is about more than 13 million VND, significantly lower than the more than 20 million VND that she surveyed in May. "At that time, the ticket price was too high, so my family temporarily put aside the plan. Recently, seeing many flights reduced in price, I decided to book immediately" - Ms. Lan said.
Not only Ms. Lan, many passengers noted that the domestic airfare level is trending downwards after a long period of maintaining at a high level.
Surveys on ticket sales systems show that many popular tourist routes from Hanoi such as Da Nang, Nha Trang or Phu Quoc are appearing with more lower prices compared to the period from late February to end May.
In which, the Hanoi - Da Nang route currently ranges from 2.6-4 million VND round trip. The Hanoi - Nha Trang route has a common price of about 3.2-5 million VND round trip depending on the airline and time frame. For the Hanoi - Phu Quoc route, the round trip ticket price currently ranges from about 3.3-5.5 million VND per passenger, about 15-20% lower than a month ago.
Some early morning or late evening flights have prices from 800,000 VND - 1 million VND per direction excluding taxes and fees.
Flight routes from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, Phu Quoc or Hanoi also have lower prices compared to the same period last year. The average price is 500,000 VND - 1.5 million VND lower, with some routes nearly 3 million VND lower than the survey in May.
According to market records, this year's summer travel demand appeared later than usual. The main reason comes from the fact that airfares remained high in the first months of the year, causing many families to temporarily postpone resort plans or switch to nearby destinations to save costs.
Airlines increase supply, tourism market flourishes
Mr. Dang Quoc Viet - representative of an airline ticket agent in Hanoi - informed that domestic ticket prices are decreasing thanks to airlines simultaneously implementing demand stimulus programs and expanding the number of tickets in low-cost classes.
In the context that operating costs are still high, the current price level is considered quite competitive. Many airlines have reopened sales of economy class tickets that rarely appeared in previous months" - Mr. Viet assessed.
In addition to launching more cheap tickets, many airlines also apply preferential programs such as higher service class discounts, gifted checked baggage or seating options to attract customers.
According to the operating plan, Vietnam Airlines Group including: Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines and VASCO is expected to supply nearly 5.5 million seats on domestic and international flight networks from now until mid-August, an increase of about 16% compared to the same period last year.
For the domestic flight network alone, this group of airlines is expected to operate more than 28,300 flights with nearly 3 million seats. Transport capacity is strengthened on many key tourist routes such as: Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Da Lat, Hue and Quy Nhon. In which, the low price currently accounts for about 40% of the seats on sale.
In addition to peak hours, the airline continues to operate early morning and late evening flights to meet the diverse needs of passengers.
This adjustment is also having a positive impact on the tourism market. Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu - Marketing and Communications Director of Vietluxtour - said that the number of tour bookings began to increase again from June after a period of stagnation due to high transportation costs.
Tan Son Nhat International Airport informed that from June 1st to August 15th, the airport is expected to operate an average of about 720 flights per day, an increase of 15% compared to the normal flight schedule. In which, domestic routes account for about 440 flights per day, showing that the demand for air travel is gradually becoming more vibrant again during the summer tourist peak season.
