HCM CITY — Travel firms expect strong growth in tours for the summer holiday this year.

Tour prices have remained unchanged as travel firms have been booking services more than one month in advance.

The number of customers this summer is expected to climb 20-30 per cent compared to the same period last year, said Đoàn Thị Thanh Trà, marketing and communications director at Saigontourist.

While group tours account for 35 per cent of bookings, tours for individuals make up the rest, Trà said.  

Many travel firms offer package tours as well as services such as tickets for tourist attraction sites, Hạ Long Bay cruises, restaurants and tour guides.  

A more diverse array of services, from which customers can pick and choose, has helped increase the number of bookings, Trà said.

More and more tourists are buying separate services, she added.

Trần Thị Bảo Thu, marketing and communications director at Fiditour, said the company was offering more than 300 inbound and outbound tours this summer.

The number of bookings has risen by 15 per cent compared to the same period last year, Thu said.

To keep prices stable, the company has been working with its partners and service providers since the fourth quarter last year, she said.

Vietravel plans to spend a total of VNĐ11.5 billion (US$508,000) for its summer holiday promotion programme.

The company hopes to attract 220,000 customers in the three month period, a year-on-year increase of 12 per cent.

BenThanh Tourist hopes to double the number of bookings in three months compared to last year’s figure.

Most of the company’s tours in June to Asian countries such as Thailand, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore are fully booked.

Beach holidays

Beach tours are popular with nearly every demographic segment, especially families and younger people.

Leisure tours to beaches at Hạ Long, Sầm Sơn, Cửa Lò, Lý Sơn, Đà Nẵng and Nha Trang, Mũi Né, Côn Đảo and Phú Quốc islands at prices of VNĐ2.5-4.5 million (US$110-200) have sold well, according to travel firms.

Trần Thế Dũng, deputy director of Young Generation Co Ltd., said most domestic tours to beaches and islands this summer were fully booked.

Beach tours to Phan Thiết City, Ninh Chữ beach in Ninh Thuận Province, Bình Hưng and Bình Ba islands in Khánh Hòa Province, and Cù Lao Xanh island in Quy Nhơn City have attracted a large number of customers this summer, Dũng said.

Promotions by airlines have helped keep prices stable, he said.  

The company predicts a growth rate of 30 per cent this summer holiday.

A booking official at Ocean Dunes Resort in Phan Thiết City said that rooms were fully booked for June, with most bookings made more than a month in advance by travel firms, companies and schools in HCM City.

During the peak summer season starting in early June to mid-August, Phan Thiết City is crowded with tourists from HCM City and neighbouring provinces, she said. 

To lure more tourists, many travel firms and tour operators are offering new destinations such as Kỳ Co Beach, Hòn Khô Island and Eo Gió (a natural strait) in the central coastal province of Bình Định. — VNS