Outbound tours are expected to flourish in March and April once Vietnam resumes international tourism from March 15, according to travel firms.
Tourists visit Thailand amid COVID-19 fears. Photo: VNA
A large number of tours to destinations such as Thailand, Cambodia, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, India, and the United States have already been fully booked.
Dat Viet Tour and Vietworld Travel say they have planned to run several tours to Dubai in March and April. Hanoitours announced it will send eight tourist groups to Dubai in the same time frame.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s office in Ho Chi Minh City also revealed it would organise a tour for Vietnamese and Cambodian tourists to visit places of interest in Bangkok and Chiang Mai in late March.
Do Van Thuc, deputy director of Dat Viet Tour, said the demand for outbound tours among Vietnamese people is currently quite high, especially many customers who are actively applying for visas to Japan and the Republic of Korea.
Local tourists expect to welcome the cherry blossom season from late March to May which is widely considered to be the most beautiful season of the year, said Thuc, adding that the prices of outbound tours are not cheap as not many flights are currently available, and COVID-19 prevention costs are also included in the tour’s prices.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh, head of the marketing Division of Vietravel pointed out that travelling abroad is forecast to flourish this summer, noting the company has worked with tourism authorities of Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines to promote outbound markets.
Besides Asian markets, travel companies are preparing for tours to the Europe or Australia after these destinations announced the granting of tourist visas for Vietnamese citizens from mid-February.
Hanotours has planned to launch tours to Western Europe, with a France-Switzerland-Italy or France-Germany-Belgium-the Netherlands journey on offer in March.
Large outbound bookings in March and April show a positive sign of tourism recovery after a hiatus caused by the prolonged COVID-19 outbreak, said Ho Xuan Phuc, director of Hanotours.
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