Travel agencies specializing in domestic tourism say about 70 percent of their customers are opting for Mekong Delta tours, most of which depart from Ho Chi Minh City.
The Mekong Delta and southern islands like Phu Quoc and Con Dao are dominating domestic tour bookings as coronavirus cases rise elsewhere in Vietnam. VNExpress, a local media reports.
Le Hoa Hiep, director of the Hi Travel Company, said the distance between the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh was not much, making it convenient for three-day-two-night tours.
Also read: Phu Quoc ranked seventh on TripAdvisor’s list of 25 emerging travel destinations
The Mekong Delta boasts many orchards, gardens, rich culture and numerous comfortable resorts. It has also not reported any coronavirus infection so far.
Fruit orchard in the Mekong Delta
“To further stimulate demand, Hi Travel is collaborating with other partners who provide transport and accommodation to launch the Mekong Delta tour bundle at 40 to 60 percent discounts, depending on the departure location,” Hiep said.
Uyen, a domestic tourist, who’d just picked a Mekong Delta tour, said: “The destinations in the southern tours are quite attractive, not too crowded and the air is clean, and the schedule is convenient, too.”
Southern islands like Phu Quoc and Con Dao have also become appealing destinations. A typical tour lasts four days and three nights if customers travel by air.
Con Son Island, Con Dao archipelago of Vietnam
Tours to the Central Highlands are also popular, but they are less attractive than the Mekong Delta and southern islands, according to travel firms.
Tran Bao Thu, a spokesperson for Fiditour Travel, said in addition to the Mekong Delta tours, her company takes tourists to south central provinces like Binh Dinh and Phu Yen.
Binh Dinh and Phu Yen have not recorded any novel coronavirus cases, while infections have been confirmed in other central localities like Hue, Quang Nam and Da Nang.
“These tours are part of a program to stimulate the domestic tourism market, so there are many preferential policies giving discounts of up to 40 percent,” Thu said.
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The spokesperson of a Hanoi travel firm said that about 150 guests have booked a 4-day-3-night tour this month that covers the central town of Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa and the Central Highlands towns of Buon Ma Thuot city and Pleiku city. This is part of a series of tours designed to stimulate domestic travel demand with preferential prices, he said.
Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, deputy general director of Vietravel, said all tours that the company is packaging these days involve places that have not been hit by the coronavirus or those that have controlled the epidemic and have not reported any new infections since.
Tran Huu Phuoc, director of THP Travel, which specializes in Vietnam – Thailand – Cambodia – Laos tour, said that at the time before the outbreak occurred his company had two groups a week (about 30 customers). However, in February, the company only had about 20 customers.
“Tours to Northeast Asia market (China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea and South Korea) are “completely” frozen. Only 25 to 30 percent of tours to Thailand and Cambodia have been sold despite the launch of discount programs” Said Nguyen Duc Hiep, CEO of Viettourist.
According to VNExpress, at a large company in Ho Chi Minh city, almost 200 people booked domestic tours last Thursday, while only 20 opted for international tours.
Read original article on VNExpress
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