Vietnamese tourists on a tour visiting the Republic of Korea in October. Photo courtesy of TSTtourist

HCM CITY — Travel demand for the upcoming Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday in late January next year is expected to be very strong, according to travel agencies.

Trần Quốc Bảo, deputy director of Saigontourist Travel Service Company, said the company has been developing products and services for Tết holiday since September.

Advance holiday season bookings for domestic and overseas tours receive discount prices, he said.

Saigontourist will offer more than 300 tour packages, and it expects to serve more than 20,000 travellers through the holiday.

BenThanh Tourist said that tour prices would rise by 10-15 per cent compared to normal days due to higher airfare prices and soaring fuel prices.

Early bookings for the Tết holiday have reached 60 per cent of its target, the company said.

Nguyễn Minh Mẫn, director of communications and marketing department at TSTtourist, said outbound trips to Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, the US and Europe have seen a strong rebound in recent months.

Travel agencies are hopeful of strong growth during the year-end holiday season and a full recovery next year, he said.

Nguyễn Nguyệt Vân Khanh, marketing director at Vietravel, said outbound tours had the highest revenue growth in recent months.

Short-haul tours to Northeast Asia will attract a large number of Vietnamese travellers during the holiday, she said.

Lê Trương Hiền Hòa, deputy director of the city’s Department of Tourism, said the department has focused on communication and marketing activities at home and abroad to lure tourists during the year-end and Tết holiday season.

The city will exploit historic and cultural heritage attractions citywide to make them unique tourism products, Hòa said. —VNS