Tet short tours preferred

Travel firms are offering tours lasting for two or three days to satisfy the increasing demand during the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year), the biggest holiday in Vietnam.

Travel firms are offering tours lasting for two or three days

Paradise Vietnam, a leading cruise operator in UNESCO-recognised Ha Long Bay in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh, is offering such tours on luxurious vessel Paradise Elegance, traditional wooden junk Paradise Sails and Paradise Peak  - the most luxurious ship cruising the bay, which are chosen by many international holidaymakers after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Sales Director Cao Anh Tuan.

Tuan noted that his company has seen a remarkable rise in the number of foreign vacationers for cruises in Ha Long Bay, especially those from Spain, France, the US, Australia, the Republic of Korea (RoK), India, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Ly Truong Xuan, in charge of marketing at Vietnamtourism-Hanoi, said international visitors favour short tours to Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An and HCM City, adding that most of the bookings come from Spanish, Belgian, British, German, and Israeli tourists.

 Notably, holidaymakers will have chances to experience Vietnamese traditions and cuisines on the occasion of the Lunar New Year.

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vietnam welcomed more than 3.66 million international tourist arrivals last year, with high revenues recorded in such localities as Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Khanh Hoa, HCM City, Can Tho, Lam Dong, Da Nang, Hanoi, and Quang Ninh.

Travel companies said tourists started booking for Tet tours, both inbound and outbound, in mid-November, and the number of tourists during the holiday is expected to rise by 30-40% year-on-year.

Given this, the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines said it will increase flights to 500 from January 6 to February 5, or from the 15th day of the last lunar month to the 15th of the Lunar New Year.

Tour operator Saigontourist has offered 300 products on this occasion, and expected to serve more than 20,000 holidaymakers. Vietravel has also launched 200 inbound and outbound tours for Tet.

Vietnam aims to welcome 110 million tourist arrivals this year, of whom 8 million are foreign, and earn some 650 trillion VND (27.73 billion USD) from the tourism sector./.

VNA