Travel companies proactively cancel and postpone tours to the North

Quang Ninh Museum campus before storm Yagi – Photo: HK

Saigontourist Travel representative said this week they will continue to temporarily cancel and postpone some tours to the North to ensure the safety of tourists.

Not in a hurry to take tourists to the North

“The company has 20-25 groups of tourists departing regularly on Northern routes, each group has an average of 10-15 people. The number of tourists choosing Northern tours usually accounts for 30% of the company's service plan, so this is not a simple decision, but we prioritize the safety of tourists,” said a representative of this business.

Yagi and the aftermath of the storm are natural disasters that are force majeure, widespread and lasting beyond expectations, therefore, all parties involved, including customers, agree on optimal alternatives or changes to departure times, on the most important basis of ensuring the safety and experience of tourists. The company will refund 100% of the cost to customers and transfer to another route according to demand.

A representative of Saigontourist Travel said that during the week from September 9 to 15, the company had only one individual group of 22 guests on the Hanoi – Ninh Binh – Ha Long – Sapa tour. To ensure safety, this group of guests changed their tour route from Hanoi to Ninh Binh.

Tours on the East-Northwest route departing in September are currently suspended or have been postponed as per the following notice. There are no MICE groups or international tourists traveling to the north this September.

In addition, tours with destinations in localities affected by storm No. 3 are all adjusted according to plans to change sightseeing spots or itineraries, and change departure times due to the complicated storm situation.

Specifically, this week, the 5-day Hanoi – Sapa – Lao Cai – Ha Long route departing on September 11, the 6-day Hanoi – Yen Bai – Sapa – Lai Chau – Dien Bien tour departing on September 12; the 4-day Hanoi – Ban Gioc – Cao Bang – Ba Be tour departing on September 14 and the 4-day Hanoi – Ninh Binh – Ha Long tour on September 14… will not depart.

Similarly, Vietravel also said that it is counting the number of tours affected by storm No. 3. Up to now, 2 Northern tour groups of Vietravel have postponed their schedules due to the impact of storm Yagi.

“In the current context, tour cancellations will certainly cause significant damage, but in the spirit of ensuring safety for tourists, we choose the best option for customers,” said a Vietravel representative.

Also during this time, although the storm has passed, natural disasters are still unpredictable. Some travel companies in Ho Chi Minh City have temporarily stopped operating routes to the North, destinations Ha Long, Sapa... and temporarily suspended routes to the East and Northwest until conditions for serving tourists return to normal.

Efforts to restore tourism activities

Previously, Trang An Eco-tourism Area in Ninh Binh Province also announced that it would temporarily stop selling entrance tickets from September 6. The announcement also said that visitors who had purchased entrance tickets to Trang An from September 6 to 15 would have their tickets reserved by the Management Board of the tourist area for one week.

According to the Trang An Eco-tourism Management Board, an estimated 500 tourists had to postpone their visit this time. These were all groups of tourists who had booked tickets online in advance.

Quang Ninh is one of the localities heavily affected by the storm to start tourism early. However, according to statistics from the Quang Ninh Department of Tourism, currently Ha Long City has about 60% of rooms ready to welcome guests with nearly 5,200 in 4-5 star standard rooms.

Only one hotel was not affected, welcoming 100% capacity and 36 hotels were both repairing and welcoming guests, accounting for 85%. Two hotels stopped operating completely for repair. The tourist accommodation block from 1-3 stars and meeting standards is still ready to welcome guests with about 580 hotels with 8,540 rooms.

Blocks of restaurants, shops, shopping spots, businesses, souvenir shops, goods using steel frames, corrugated iron roofs, simple materials in Ha Long City area all collapsed, blown away, broken, severely damaged, many establishments are unable to repair for business because they are completely damaged.

Some key tourist attractions in Ha Long City such as Quang Ninh Museum, Provincial Planning and Exhibition Center, Sunworld entertainment area, Tuan Chau tourist area... are being repaired to welcome visitors in the near future.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cong-ty-du-lich-chu-dong-huy-hoan-tour-di-mien-bac-20240914125731311.htm