Struggling tour routes to avoid war
According to Lao Dong Newspaper's records, most businesses said they proactively apply many response measures, in which priority is given to consulting on tour changes, adjusting schedules or preserving costs for customers.
Ms. Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh - Director of Marketing and Communications Department of Vietravel - said that the business proactively reviewed all customer files with transit routes through the Middle East in March.
Currently, most customers at Vietravel choose to switch to other tourist routes or save costs, waiting for the time when the political situation stabilizes again.
Not only "big guys", small and medium-sized enterprises are also suffering losses.
Mr. Nguyen Van Nhi - representative of Postours & Event - said that a group of about 30 customers of the company was forced to cancel their trip due to direct impacts from the war.
Most foreign partners accept to reserve services, but the cost of air tickets also depends on the policies of each airline at each time. Visa fees are fees that customers cannot get back because they have completed procedures with consular authorities.
Despite the volatile situation, some businesses are still waiting for positive signals from the market. Mr. Phung Xuan Khanh, CEO of Tien Phong Travel, informed that the unit has a tourist group expected to depart for the Middle East in April: "We are waiting for more information to assess the situation. If tensions continue to escalate, businesses are ready to cancel plans and refund tickets, accepting economic losses to ensure absolute safety for tourists".
Challenges from geopolitical fluctuations
The Middle East is an important gateway connecting aviation operations between Europe and Asia. Therefore, war could turn the largest air transshipment hub on the Eurasian continent into a bottleneck for airlines and travel agencies to avoid.
Adjusting tours not only depends on the technical factors of the route but also on the psychology of tourists.
Mr. Nguyen Cong Hoan - General Director of Flamingo Redtours - said that when air routes through this area encounter problems, costs will certainly increase, transportation will be more difficult, and service valuation must also be recalculated.
Even when flights are still operating, tourist psychology is still affected by geopolitical fluctuations.
Hopefully the war will end soon and the political situation will stabilize again. Currently, we maintain traditional products and markets in Northeast Asia such as Japan, Korea, China..." - Mr. Hoan expressed.
Looking at the future, Ms. Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh said that the current geopolitical developments will certainly cause a short-term shock to the aviation industry and international transshipment activities.
However, she remained optimistic: "If the situation is controlled and does not spread into regional conflict, the market could recover quite quickly thanks to the large transit system in Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi.
In addition, businesses are also making efforts to diversify flight routes, especially prioritizing European routes without transit through the Middle East or choosing transit points in East Asia to reduce dependence on this hot region.
