TSTtourist customers at its office preparing for their first trip of the lunar year. Photo courtesy of nld.com.vn

HCM CITY— Many tourist companies in HCM City held ceremonies on Lunar New Year’s Day on Febuary 1 to welcome the first groups of local tourists to travel during the Tết holidays.

According to tourism businesses, thanks to the nine-day holiday and extensive COVID-19 vaccination, people feel secure about travelling, and as a result the number of travellers this year is high.

Vietravel said 5,000 people had signed up for its tours, with most choosing to go to north-eastern and north-western provinces, Quy Nhơn, Đà Nẵng, Đà Lạt and Phú Quốc Island.

TSTtourist also has a large number of clients this year.

Nguyễn Minh Mẫn, its marketing director, said more than 1,000 people had booked tours. 

Phú Quốc, Đà Lạt and Mũi Né and the north-western region seem to be the most popular destinations.

Vietravel said Tết tour prices were steady, and in fact people got discounts when traveling in groups, stood a chance of winning tickets to popular destinations on Vietravel Airlines and enjoyed other attractive incentives.

Phạm Quý Huy, director of Kiwi Travel Company, said travel agencies were looking forward to welcoming foreign tourists.

Domestic tourism looked set to boom this year, Huy said, adding the industry wanted favourable policies. - VNS