Belt-tightening tourists think twice on New Year packages

With New Year festivities carrying on for four days in Vietnam, most travel agencies have offered additional tour packages to embrace the season, but the number of holidaymakers actually signing up for New Year tours has fallen short of their expectations.

Some tour organizers have increased the number of tours between December 29 and January 1 by 25 – 30 percent, but most tourists are carefully considering their options before booking due to cost..

Yen Ngoc, residing in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 5, said she may switch from spending the holidays in Da Nang to Phan Thiet or Nha Trang to save money.

“The Da Nang tour will cost our four-member family VND30 million (US$1,442), while it will be only half of that price in the two latter cases, as we will not have to travel by airplane,” she said.

Ngoc said she has to think twice because her and her husband’s cash bonuses this year are expected to be much lower than last year.

Ta Thi Tu Uyen, head of the individual tourist department of Vietravel, said packages to the central and northern regions by airplane have not sold as well as last year due to high prices.

“The economic slowdown has led most tourists to carefully consider before booking,” she explained.

Airfares for services during the holidays have increased by as much as 20 percent, thus discouraging tourists, travel agencies said.

Some tour organizers also said booking for the New Year has dropped 20 – 35 percent compared to last year.

The companies attribute the poor sales to the fact that holidaymakers are waiting until the Lunar New Year, which is roughly a month after New Year's Day, to start traveling.

“The Lunar New Year holidays are much longer, and most tourists are saving for this season,” said Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang travel agency.

“Some 70 percent of the tours during this time have been booked early, while the figure last year was only 40 percent at this time,” he added.