Airlines have coordinated with tourist companies, destinations, and leisure facilities to provide discounts to attract visitors.
![Tourists participate in a tour visiting Van Don island district in the Northern province of Quang Ninh. (Photo: SGGP) h1f-6183.jpg.jpg](https://image.sggp.org.vn/w1000/Uploaded/2024/zfuswurkxr/2024_07_08/h1f-6183jpg-8479.jpg)
According to travel agencies in HCMC, more families went on holiday on July 7 but they tightened their spending compared to previous years. Visitors are interested in road trips to destinations near their accommodation areas, such as Phan Thiet, Nha Trang, Phu Yen, Da Lat, and the Mekong Delta region.
Sea, island, and leisure tours are domestic tourists’ top choices. Customized tours that are specially designed to meet travelers’ requests, services involved in hotels, air tickets, and car rental also see a differentiation focusing on reducing expense.
Vietnam Airlines and Vinpearl recently signed a cooperation agreement to launch discounts up to 50 percent for air tickets and hotel rooms between 9 pm and 5 am, such as a holiday package with two or three nights’ accommodation and flight worth around VND3 million (US$117) per person.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saigontourist Holding Company (Saigontourist) Pham Huy Binh announced that the company is implementing a promotion campaign nationwide to say thanks to clients and offer the best choices to travelers.
Accordingly, tourists will have a chance to enjoy a discount for reservations of at least five consecutive nights at five-star Rex hotel in HCMC’s District 1, a 15-percent discount on À-la-carte menu and a 30-percent discount on laundry services when choosing the "Long Stay" promotion package on website www.rexhotelsaigon.com.
The number of outbound travelers sharply increased
Ms. Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, deputy general director of Vietravel, said that the number of Vietnamese visitors traveling abroad continues to increase significantly this summer, especially trips to destinations in Asia, the US, and Europe.
Hoang Tu Quyen from Tan Binh District said that she met many Vietnamese tourists on her trips to Singapore, South Korea, and Japan.
Around 9,000 tourists have registered for Thai tours, up 45 percent compared to the same period last year, especially the 5 -day-4-night Bangkok - Pattaya tour costing VND5.9 million (US$230) - VND8.9 million (US$348) per person. One of the main attractions drawing Vietnamese visitors to Thailand is the variety of attractive promotional programs.
Ben Thanh Tourist Company received a large number of tourists traveling abroad compared to the same period last year. Of these, Southeast Asia nations and countries in Northeast Asia continue to be attractive destinations. However, the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourism market is less vibrant compared to the same period in 2023. Several tours are designed with shorter itineraries, cut some activities, or changed to markets at a near distance likely Cambodia, Thailand, or China to reduce costs.
Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu, Marketing and Communications Director of Vietluxtour, stated that summer tours this year see price stability. Tours to Northeast Asia are offered at affordable prices. However, prices of European tours have slightly increased due to the rise in hotel rates in Euro 2024.
According to economic experts, the ministries, departments, and units need to join hands to encourage Vietnamese people to travel to stimulate domestic tourism.
In related news, the Department of Tourism of the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang Province informed that the locality received nearly 5.5 million tourists in the first six months this year, including 510,000 international visitors, achieving 75.8 percent of this year’s target. Revenue from accommodation and food services was estimated at VND17,500 billion (US$685 million).