Summer travel: Price storm make tours more expensive

VietNamNet Bridge – Tour fees have been increasing sharply as the prices of all commodities and services have been skyrocketing. However, travellers still are flocking to beaches this summer.

Sea tours remain the first choice of clients this summer

There are many factors that have forced travel firms to raise fees for tours this summer.

Tran Anh Doan Nghi, Deputy Director of Chuong Vang Travel Firm, said that a meal now costs VND30-40,000/person in Da Lat city, while previously, it was VND25,000 only. A meal in Nha Trang city is now priced at VND60,000/person instead of VND40,000 as previously, while it is now VND60,000 instead of VND50,000 in Mui Ne.

Nghi said that service fees have also skyrocketing. The fee for bathing in mineral mud in Nha Trang has risen to VND80,000 from VND60,000, while the fee for bathing in mineral spring has increased to VND40,000 from VND30,000.

Nguyen Van My, Director of Lua Viet Travel Firm, complained that service providers and hotels all have continuously raised their fees, making it difficult for travel firms to calculate tour fees.

My said that while service providers all have raised service fees dramatically, travel firms have increased tour fees only a little. “We have to try to cut expenses in order to attract clients,” My said.

Duc Hoa, Deputy Head of the Domestic Travel Division under Saigontourist, also said that the price storm has made the company’s profit decrease sharply, but the company dares not raise tour fees too much. Cutting down expenses proves to be the most suitable solution for nowadays. Besides, Hoa said, the company is considering focusing on cheap short tours (less than four days).

Travel firms say that sea tours remain the first choice of clients this summer.

Saigontourist’s statistics show that five tours that most attract clients earlier this summer are the 1/ tour to Nha Trang – ha long 2/ Vietnam, my homeland 3/ Phan Thiet – Nha Trang – Da Lat – Ninh Binh – Hoa Lu – ha long 4/Ninh Chu – Da Lat 5/ Hoi An ancient town – Da Nang – Phong Nha – Hue, which have the tour fees between VND2mil and VND13mil.

Hoa at Saigontourist said that the company has provided 200 tours with the departing points in Hanoi, Da Nang and HCM City this summer.

Le Hong Viet Thao, representative of Viettravel, also said that clients tend to go to cool places to relax in the summer. Viettravel has launched 10 sea tours with the destinations being the most famous beaches in Vietnam, including Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Mui Ne, Ha Tien and Phu Quoc. The firm is now designing a new tour of discovering Quy Nhon sea city.

“It is estimated that the number of travellers with Viettravel services will reach 35,000, up by 25% over the same period of last year,” Thao said.

Targeting university students and high school pupils, Lua Viet has launched four tours to summer camps, at VND799,000-2,590,000 per traveller.

The biggest choice for outbound tours is Cambodia thanks to the low cost. For just $200, clients can have a four-day tour with 4-5 star service quality. Lua Viet said that the tour fees have remained unchanged since 1999.

(Source: Dan tri)