VietNam Business: tours

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Monday, January 31, 2011

Int’l arrivals in high season recover in uncertainties

Foreign tourists join an outdoor activity to make artistic articles from clay in a tour in Vietnam arranged by Saigontourist Travel Service Co. - Photo: Hoang Long

HCMC – Local travel firms have reported recovery in international tourists in the high season of the inbound tourism, but most still refrain from predicting business outcome for the rest of the year, saying uncertainties are still ahead.

Saigontourist Travel Service Co. has reported a good number of foreign travelers in the January-September period at 180,000, up 11% year-on-year. The company’s deputy director Hoang Huu Loc said that it was still very difficult to talk about any estimate for the high season and the whole year.

“So far, we have some bookings for the whole year, but the majority of travelers tend to purchase tours some weeks or one month in advance. Based on current figures we can say the business is increasing at the moment but we can’t say about this year’s growth rate,” he said.

The company names France and Germany among the major source markets with good growth rates.

Normally, travel companies who receive tourists from long-haul destinations such as Europe and North America often close the tours in November or December, but now the companies are still open to requests from customers.

Asian Trails Co., Ltd., another major travel firm in the city, is also reserved about the year’s business.

“It’s hard to assess the market. It’s changing so fast. At my company, the number of tourists still has not recovered to the same level of 2007 or 2008,” said Bui Viet Thuy Tien, director of the company.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has reported more than 3.7 million foreign visitor arrivals to the country during the January-September period, a staggering increase of 34.2% year-on-year.

HCMC as the country’s biggest tourism center said it has welcomed 2.2 million international visitors in the period, up 13% over the same period of last year.

However, local travel firms have reported a lower growth rate of real foreign arrivals, not only from long-haul but also short-haul markets like Japan and South Korea.

“At my company, Singapore, Philippines and China markets take the lead in the growth rate, but the growth rate is still lower than in the good year of 2007,” said Tran Vinh Loc, director of Lac Hong Voyages.

“We are still selling packaged tours as traditional tours to foreign travelers but we are following new trends of travel to make new products in the coming times,” Loc said.

Travel companies have found travelers tending to travel on free and easy tours as well as budget and short-day tours.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Visa fee exemption takes effect

Samurai to take local travelers to Japan on chartered flight

HCMC – The visa fee exemption policy took effect on Sunday after the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) had issued guidelines on the policy over weekend.

In a document signed by VNAT’s deputy head Nguyen Manh Cuong, the tourism agency said the exemption of visa fees would be granted between Sunday and December 31 to international visitors.

However, the incentive is limited to only those tourists who buy packaged tours from international travel companies who have registered to join the country’s tourism marketing campaign named Viet Nam – Your Destination. Tourists can find such companies at www.impressivevietnam.vn

The central Government late of last month announced the new policy for international travelers to the country following a request from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Travelers who purchase “Vietnam – Your destination” program’s tours but make their tours after December 31 will not be entitled to visa fee exemption.

The country received more than 383,000 foreign visitors last month, bringing the total number of foreign arrivals to over 3.73 million in the January – September period, up 34.2% year on year.

* HCMC- based Samurai Travel Joint-Stock Company in December will take local travelers to Japan on a chartered flight. The company has promised the cheaper tour prices compared to normal prices because Samurai and APEX travel have cooperated to bring Japanese tourists to Vietnam on the plane.

APEX will handle inbound tours for Japanese travelers to the country.

Samurai’s director Nguyen Van Thanh told the Daily that the outbound tour would start in HCMC on December 28 to take tourists to attractions in Nikko and to celebrate the New Year holiday in Tokyo and other sites. The six-day tour costs US$1,999 per person.

He said tourists would save hundreds of U.S dollars as the two companies have leased the flight for both inbound and outbound travelers.

Thanh said his company was seeking cooperation with other travel companies in HCMC to attract local travelers to the special tour. Samurai and APEX have plans for similar tours on this Lunar New Year holiday.

Tourists can contact the company at 40 Mac Thi Buoi Street, District 1 or via the telephone number 08 3 825 1076 for further information.