Many customers are "closing their books" and going abroad
In early August, Ms. Thao Nguyen (33 years old, Nam Dinh) planned to go on a tour to China for the September 2 holiday. However, right at that time, when consulting some road tours to Binh Bien - Mong Tu - Kien Thuy, she realized that the number of booked customers was very crowded.
"At the beginning of the month, I asked some agents and received news that the tour still had seats, but the number of tourists was quite large. The tour was popular because the schedule lasted 4 days, equal to the September 2 holiday, and the road tour price was Cheap and affordable," Ms. Thao said.
To avoid crowded travel conditions, she chose to book a tour a week before the holiday. However, on the day of departure, Thao was surprised to see that the number of tourists on the tour was still very large.
Like Ms. Thao, many people also want to travel abroad during this September 2 holiday.
Talking to Lao Dong on August 27, Mr. Bui Thanh Tu, Marketing Director of Best Price, said: "Currently, all of our domestic and foreign tours for the September 2 holiday have enough guests and are closed.
For foreign tours that require visas like Korea and Japan, there are enough groups only 2-3 weeks after the holiday schedule is announced to ensure guests have visas on time. Foreign tours that do not require a visa such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia... had enough groups about a month ago."
According to Mr. Tu, international passengers mainly go to Asian countries such as Thailand, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Japan... European tours that take longer than the holiday period also have a number of tourists. certain interest, but not as much as Asian countries. The earliest tours include China, Korea, and Japan because of quick processing time and visa, only 1-2 weeks.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu - General Director of Vitamin Tours & Events, shared that because of high airfare prices, the number of tourists traveling to China by road is very large. However, it was all within expectations.
"Since the whole month before the holiday, we have proactively increased the number of road tours to optimally serve customers. At the same time, we also organize flight charters to ensure preferential prices for tourists. Air routes to China during the holiday season, however, the number of reservations has been sold out since August 20," Mr. Hieu said.
Domestic tours flourish
According to BestPrice statistics, the number of tourists traveling during the 4-day holiday on September 2 this year increased by 120% compared to the same period last year. In particular, the majority of visitors increased sharply on international tour routes. However, the domestic market also has many improvements.
Mr. Bui Thanh Tu shared: "For the domestic market, long-term routes connecting the North - Central - South are currently full. However, for day tours or short trips such as 2 days 1 night, we I can still flexibly accept guests."
On this occasion of September 2, domestic destinations not too far from home are ideal choices for tourists because they optimize travel time and costs. Accordingly, Hanoi tourists mainly go to destinations such as Ha Long, Do Son, Hoa Binh, Ninh Binh...
Tourists in Ho Chi Minh City go to Phan Thiet, Vung Tau, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Western tours... For faraway destinations that have to be traveled by plane, the number of bookings has increased but not really a breakthrough.
Sharing the same opinion, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu said that the September 2 holiday is the last time before the end of the 2024 summer tourist season. After September, beach tourism destinations will be nearly empty due to cooler weather. . Tourists will focus on mountain tourist destinations such as Sa Pa, Moc Chau, Lai Chau...
In addition, high domestic airfare prices cause tourists to choose nearby domestic tours or foreign tours, and rarely travel far within the country.
Even though the tour ends early, travel businesses still have attractive last-minute programs to attract tourists such as giving gifts after purchasing the tour, livestream golden hours, air ticket discounts, hotel reservations...
With the current situation, Mr. Bui Thanh Tu predicts that this year, the number of visitors will be larger than usual. Therefore, the company has prepared the best plan to welcome and serve guests, including: working with local service providers, bus companies, restaurants, and training tour guides. Attentive care, providing hotlines, listening to visitors' feedback...
