Where to go and what to do on National Day?

Scattered early holidays

As one of the first visitors to join the vibrant atmosphere on the opening day of the “Ban May Golden Season” festival on Fansipan peak (Sa Pa, Lao Cai), Quynh Lan, a tourist from Hoa Binh, excitedly shared: “Ban May is wonderful, filled with the golden color of rice and paddy, everywhere is brilliant with flags and flowers welcoming National Day September 2. This is the first time I have experienced such a unique festival. The ethnic people are really enthusiastic and hospitable.”

Da Nang organizes a series of cultural and entertainment events to serve tourists during the National Day holiday.

Ms. Lan is not one of the few tourists who went to Sa Pa for an early holiday. Since mid-August, every day, Fansipan peak has welcomed thousands of tourists to the festival, welcoming the most beautiful golden season of the year. Until the end of September 1, every weekend in Ban May, there is a festival celebrating the ripe rice season of the indigenous peoples, such as the Then Kin Pang festival of the Thai people held on August 24-25, the New Rice festival of the Ban May ethnic groups (August 31-September 1). Therefore, many families and tourists have taken advantage of the last days of summer to go to Sa Pa to immerse themselves in the simple but joyful and happy atmosphere of the highland villages, welcoming the rare opportunity to witness the solemn prayer rituals of the highland ethnic people. "The children will be back to school in a few days, so let's just consider it a trip to celebrate September 2. During the holidays, I will stay home to prepare for them to go back to school and then go visit my grandparents near my house," said Ms. Quynh Lan.

Saigontourist Travel Company recorded that the number of visitors during the 2.9 holiday this year did not increase dramatically, visitors chose to travel across departure dates instead of focusing too much on the holiday. Ms. Doan Thi Thanh Tra, Marketing and Communications Director of Saigontourist Travel, said that for the 2.9 holiday tour, this business has reached 88% of the expected number of seats served. The hottest tours are the 3-day trip to Phu Quoc, 3-day tour of the Central provinces, 4-day autumn tour in the North, and road tours to Phan Thiet, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Buon Ma Thuot - Pleiku - Kon Tum, Can Tho - Ca Mau.

It is noteworthy that this year’s September 2nd holiday falls right at the time when the Northwest is preparing to enter the ripe rice season. Therefore, many tourists do not want to miss this special occasion to admire the beautiful natural picture with the terraced fields stretching out.

With foreign tours, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong attract customers. Long-distance tours at Saigontourist Travel have enough customers to depart. Australia and South Africa are the two places that attract the most customers because at this time, the Southern Hemisphere countries are entering spring with many festivals and captivating scenery.

Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu, Communications Director of Vietluxtour Travel Company, commented: Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the seasonality in tourism has decreased significantly. Both the market share of group and individual tourists tend to distribute travel plans evenly throughout the year, no longer concentrating on 1-2 peak periods. In particular, the period from August to November, which used to be considered the low season in the tourism industry, has in recent years been considered an ideal time to plan a trip, because during this period, services are not overloaded, prices are good, the climate is cool and fresh, and the natural landscape in autumn at some destinations is very beautiful.

As of August 22, the rate of customers registering for tours during the September 2 holiday has reached about 90% of Vietluxtour's target plan, the demand is not concentrated on a few main holidays but spread out before and during the holiday. Because it is considered a "vacation" for family groups before the children return to school, families often prioritize package tours, with a visit time of 3-4 days/trip, and a moderate cost for holiday trips.

Foreign tours are still popular

Continuing the trend from the beginning of the year until now, travel companies have recorded that the number of customers booking overseas tours during this holiday is somewhat higher than domestic tours. At Vietluxtour, the rate is about 60% - 40% leaning towards overseas tours. In particular, the most popular destinations for tourists are Taiwan, China, Korea, Thailand... Newly developed Southeast Asian tours such as Cambodia, Laos... have also started to attract customers because the visit time is not too long (4 - 5 days), the tour price is at an average level. Autumn is an ideal time to explore Laos and Cambodia because of the cool weather and beautiful scenery.

Tourists experience unique festival season on Fansipan peak

In the domestic market, Vietluxtour promotes the exploitation of retail customers and office workers in big cities on holidays with free & easy products and customized tours, focusing on the demand for mid- to high-end resorts from 3 to 5 stars, especially the beach resorts of Nha Trang, Phu Yen, Hue - Da Nang, Con Dao...

According to Viet Travel Company, the difference between foreign and domestic tours is up to 70% - 30%. The foreign tours at the company are fully booked and have stopped accepting guests to prepare for tours departing consecutively from August 26 until the end of the holiday on September 3. Mr. Pham Anh Vu, Deputy Director of Viet Travel Company, assessed that domestic tours traveling by car and train, due to simple procedures, not requiring many documents and the habit of booking domestic tours late, are sold more slowly than foreign tours. However, the closer the holiday gets, the more customers register.

“This year’s 4-day holiday is a suitable time for domestic tours and tours to nearby destinations such as Phan Thiet, Vung Tau, Nha Trang, Buon Ma Thuot, etc. departing from Ho Chi Minh City; and Thanh Hoa, Sa Pa, Moc Chau, etc. Tours by plane with good airfares such as the route from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, Ha Long; tours to enjoy the ripe rice season on terraced fields in the East and Northwest, etc.; or from Hanoi to the Mekong Delta provinces such as Chau Doc, Kien Giang; Hanoi to Quy Nhon, etc. have been booked early by customers. Tours to nearby markets such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Korea, Japan, etc. have an advantage thanks to their 5-day tour itinerary but do not exceed the holiday period, because customers can choose to depart by night flights. On the contrary, domestic night flights are attracting more individual customers, independent travelers, and those returning home for the holiday, etc. than general groups of tourists,” Mr. Pham Anh Vu informed.

Although the number of customers booking domestic tours through travel agencies during the holiday season is not too "hot", many destinations have carefully prepared and are ready with many unique programs. Typically, Ho Chi Minh City is preparing for a spectacular fireworks display at the beginning of the Saigon River tunnel (Thu Duc City) and Dam Sen Cultural Park (District 11) on the evening of September 2. At the same time, the city also organizes many cultural, artistic and sports activities such as a music and dance program on the evening of September 2 at Nguyen Hue walking street, and the traditional Ho Chi Minh City boat race on the Saigon River (Bach Dang Wharf area).

Similarly, Da Nang City also plans to organize a series of cultural and entertainment events to serve tourists during the National Day holiday. Notably, the BRG Open Golf Championship Danang 2024 will take place from August 29 to 31, attracting 144 leading Vietnamese and international golfers. Visitors to Da Nang during this time will also enjoy street cultural activities such as singing Bai Choi, Tuong performances, street music, free movies, watching 2 extreme sports shows "Awaken River - The River Wakes Up" and Vietnamese Puppetry along with a fireworks display that stirs up the coastal city every night at Asia Park (Danang Downtown)...

Meanwhile, many tourists from the Northern region are looking for emerging destinations near the capital such as Ha Nam, Bac Ninh... to "live slowly".

Ticket prices increase but tour prices remain stable

Every holiday, the story that people and tourists are most interested in is still the price of air tickets. A survey of data from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam on ticket prices of Vietnamese airlines shows that ticket prices during the September 2 holiday increased compared to normal days before the holiday, about 20%. On the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route, the highest ticket price recorded was about 2.6 million VND/way provided by Vietnam Airlines on August 30 during the daytime, an increase of 8% compared to a week earlier (August 23). At the same time, Vietjet Air had a price of about 2.3 million VND/way, an increase of 25%. On the Hanoi - Nha Trang route, the ticket prices announced by airlines ranged from 2.4 - 3 million VND/way, an increase of about 24% compared to the week before the holiday... Ticket prices tend to increase, but appear mainly on the beginning and end of the holiday. For the days between holidays, the basic fare is relatively stable, keeping the same level as the days before the holiday.

However, travel companies all said that tour prices did not fluctuate too much, only increasing slightly by about 5-10%, mainly thanks to many joint programs and promotions between airlines and tourism.

The period from August to November used to be considered the low season in the tourism industry, but in recent years it has been considered an ideal time to plan a trip, because during this period the services are not overloaded, prices are good, the climate is cool and fresh...

Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu (Communications Director of Vietluxtour Travel Company)

Ms. Doan Thi Thanh Tra admitted that recently, the increase in airfares has reduced the competitiveness of Vietnamese tourism in both the domestic and inbound markets. Travel companies have had to flexibly expand their products such as implementing road, rail, expressway tours, combo packages, individual services, etc. In order to stimulate domestic tourism, last summer, Saigontourist Travel cooperated with Vietnam Airlines to research and build preferential products with flights departing after 9pm every day to domestic tourist destinations such as Da Nang, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, 3 days 2 nights or 4 days 3 nights with airfares reduced by more than 50% and the first hotel night free in the tour program. This product line has contributed to increasing the demand for air travel of tourists this summer until August 31.

Mr. Pham Anh Vu commented: In the context of rising airfares and impacted travel demand, the promotional program linking airlines and hotels has been very effective, attracting many individual customers. However, the connection and cooperation still need to be deeper and broader to build many suitable tourism products and programs.

Recently, the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Council has proposed that accommodation establishments should apply a flexible check-in and check-out policy, not as rigid as the current check-in after 2 p.m. and check-out before 11 a.m. If applied, it will help customers make the most of their stay without being constrained by fixed check-in and check-out times. This is especially useful for customers with night flights or those with unstable schedules, helping them to rest and relax without worrying about being charged extra for late check-out. In particular, it can be more harmonious and practical when reducing appropriately for customers and optimizing for hotels, thereby increasing the number of customers using night flight services... Businesses will promote and attract tourists to use services such as night flight tickets, flexible hotel hours. The number of tourists will increase significantly.

“A few years ago, there was a hotel system that applied the check-in and check-out policy, thereby creating competition to attract guests by successfully satisfying the needs of many tourists. Currently, this system has developed a very good number of hotels nationwide, partly due to the success of this specific policy. However, to do this, it is necessary to develop clear cooperation regulations between hotels and travel agencies to ensure that room booking and check-in and check-out time management are carried out in a synchronous and effective manner. Staff of travel agencies and hotels need to be further trained to understand and apply flexible and consistent policies and how to handle special situations,” a representative of Viet Tourism Company suggested.

More cheap ticket options for passengers

Passengers traveling by air should book tickets early on the airline's official channels to have many options for ticket prices that suit their needs; at the same time, proactively monitor flight schedules and arrange travel time to airports to avoid congestion or inconvenience due to flight delays. In addition, if each individual's conditions allow, passengers can also consider booking tickets on flights departing early or late in the day, to have more options for cheaper prices and night flight experiences with airlines.Leader of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam

Join hands to have a quality tour at a good price

In the coming time, Saigontourist Group and Vietnam Airlines will continue to carefully analyze market demand and commit to long-term promotion and business to ensure the effectiveness of two-way tourism exploitation. The increase in airfares has unintentionally created a mentality among tourists to wait for stimulus and discount periods at events and fairs to buy at good prices, which in the long run will cause unwanted effects on the tourism market.

For sustainable development, the tourism and aviation industries as well as local destinations need to identify a close symbiotic cooperative relationship, sharing risks, harmonizing benefits, and coordinating flexibly in product development (including new products, high-end products, promotional products, stimulating demand, products for many customer groups, etc.). Without the cooperation of all parties, the market will shift and change the habits and behaviors of customers, and tourism routes and flights will be affected.

Ms. Doan Thi Thanh Tra (Director of Marketing and Communications, Saigontourist Travel)

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/le-quoc-khanh-di-dau-choi-gi-185240824231754264.htm