Tourists visit Hội An Ancient Town in central Việt Nam ahead of the National Day holiday. Tourism authorities have warned travellers to be cautious about informal tours promoted on social media. — VNS Photo Bồ Xuân Hiệp

HCM CITY — The tourism authority has warned travellers against joining informal tours promoted or organised by social-media influencers ahead of the five-day National Day holiday (September 2), saying such programmes may not meet legal requirements for travel services and insurance.

The warning was included in guidance issued by the National Authority of Tourism on Tuesday, as localities prepare for a surge in travel during the holiday from August 29 to September 2.

The authority asked local tourism agencies to prepare measures to regulate visitor flows at major destinations, prevent overcrowding and traffic congestion, maintain hotlines and promptly address complaints.

Tourism businesses were also urged to publicly disclose prices, surcharges and refund and cancellation policies, and to provide services as agreed with customers.

For travellers, the authority advised caution when considering informal tours or travel programmes promoted or organised by KOLs and KOCs, social-media personalities with significant online influence, particularly those that do not meet legal requirements.

It recommended tourists consider purchasing travel insurance and choose tours organised by licensed travel-service businesses.

Việt Nam has nearly 300,000 KOLs and KOCs, six times the number recorded in 2022, according to the Việt Nam KOL and KOC Club.

However, there are currently no specific criteria for determining who qualifies as a KOL, leading to cases of people describing themselves as influencers.

Not all tours led by KOLs or KOCs pose risks, with the main concern being informal programmes organised without the required travel-business registration or licensing, or without appropriate insurance coverage for customers.

Vũ Quang Kiên, 29, who runs the “Discover Mộc Châu” social-media channel, said the warning was timely and necessary, and could encourage people promoting tourism through social media to professionalise their operations.

Nguyễn Tiến Đạt, CEO of Hà Nội-based AZA Travel, recommend tourists ask for invoices and contracts and check a travel operator’s business licence to avoid dealing with fraudulent companies.

He also warned travellers to be cautious about unusually deep discounts during the holiday period.

“National Day is a peak travel period, so travellers should be wary of unusually cheap tours and offers that seem too good to be true, such as discounts of 50 per cent,” he said.

Việt Nam welcomed nearly 100 million domestic tourist trips and nearly 14 million international arrivals in the first seven months of this year, reaching 56 per cent of its full-year tourism target.

The National Day holiday this year will last five days, from August 29 to September 2. — VNS