Tourists are tightening their spending and September 2 is considered a "clean" holiday, so travel companies estimate that the market will not be too vibrant.
This year, people have 4 days off for the September 2nd holiday (from September 1st to September 4th) and travel agencies consider this a relatively reasonable time for domestic and international travel. However, this does not mean that tourism on September 2nd will be bustling because tourists have had a lot of time to travel before (April 30th - May 1st holiday, summer travel), so only a few choose to travel on September 2nd.
Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu, Marketing and Communications Director of Vietluxtour, said that the cost of transportation services, restaurants, and hotels is quite stable but there is a possibility that the tour will not be too "hot" on both domestic and outbound routes. Part of the reason is that many families with children about to start school will not be able to go out, so the number of visitors is likely not as high as in the summer.
Meanwhile, Ms. Tran Phuong Linh, IT Marketing Director of BenThanh Tourist, said the current economic situation has caused some customers to tighten their spending, reducing the purchasing power of the tourism market. In recent years, customers' habits have changed as they travel throughout the year instead of concentrating on major holidays. Therefore, the number of tourists on September 2 this year will not increase dramatically compared to normal days.
Currently, according to a survey by VnExpress , the price of September 2nd holiday tours of travel agencies tends to increase by about 20% compared to normal days. However, this price is not much different from the same period last year. For example, a 6-day, 5-night Japan tour still costs about 38 million VND per person or a 4-day, 3-night Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) tour costs about 4.1 million VND per person if departing from Ho Chi Minh City.
The trend of tourists traveling abroad is still mainly focused on nearby destinations, with average prices (under 15 million VND). Many units said that they have sold out all tours to Thailand, Taiwan (China), and Singapore during this time. China is also a destination that many units rate as "selling well" because of the newly reopened programs, good prices, and no difficulty in obtaining visas. Ms. Pham Phuong Anh, Deputy General Director of Viet Tourism, said that currently the company has 2-4 groups going to China each week, equivalent to 100 guests, with 5 groups on September 2 alone.
Tours to Korea also show signs of increasing again as visa procedures are simpler and prices are suitable for many people's financial conditions (about 20 million VND per person). Tours to Japan have relatively high prices (around 40 million VND per person), so they are more selective.
Gyeongbokgung Palace (Seoul, South Korea) in autumn. Photo: INHYEOK PARK/Unsplash
In the domestic market, a representative of Vietluxtour commented that Phu Quoc (Kien Giang) may not be as "hot" as last year but will "share some market share with the Hanoi, Da Nang - Hoi An, East - Northwest routes" because autumn is a beautiful time to travel to these destinations.
The company has also implemented many MICE tourism contracts (conference tourism, teambuilding) with 200-500 guests per group going on teambuilding trips to Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Phan Thiet (Binh Thuan), Nha Trang, Ha Long (Quang Ninh) and even Hanoi with a schedule of 3-4 days. According to Ms. Thu, the price of autumn-winter tours has cooled down, so many companies take advantage of this time to combine holidays and tourism.
Best Price also recorded similar results when many large groups from businesses registered for domestic tours, spread across three regions. However, individual customers and families tend to wait until the day before buying domestic tours. To attract this group, the company is implementing the form of selling land tours (a package program at one location, not including travel or hotel costs).
Tourists at a restaurant with a sea view in Phu Quoc. Photo: Shri Phu Quoc
Mr. Bui Thanh Tu, Marketing Director of the company, said this form is attracting more individual customers and families because of its convenience and lack of restrictions like traditional tours. Customers can drive or fly to their destination and be taken on a tour by a local tour guide according to their preferred schedule.
Although they all assessed that the market would not be too vibrant, travel companies recorded that the number of customers booking tours and tourism services on September 2 reached 65-80% of the plan. This comes from the fact that companies have clearly understood the habits of customers after the pandemic when the nature of peak, low season or holidays is no longer clear. From there, they can reasonably calculate the amount of products sold, avoiding the situation of unsold products during peak times due to supply exceeding demand.
After September 2, tourism will enter a low season but there will be many special experiences because it is autumn and winter. Therefore, travel companies have started to prepare for this period.
In addition to traditional autumn tourism products such as tours to welcome the golden rice season in the Northern mountainous region, buckwheat flower tours in Ha Giang, the flood season in the West and red leaf season tours in North Asia, Europe, and the US, BenThanh Tourist has launched many new tours such as tours to South America or mysterious Egypt, tours to see the aurora borealis in Finland and pilgrimage tours to enrich customers' choices.
Meanwhile, Vietluxtour also has high expectations for its European and American tour products and expects the number of visitors to increase by 15% compared to the summer. The company representative said that the end of the year is the best season in these destinations with many festivals being held.
Tu Nguyen
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