Most tour operators in the inbound segment worry about a fall in international visitor arrivals though the high season has started, as the global economic slump has taken its toll on the hospitality industry.
The high season for inbound tourism lasts from October to March, but the number of customers from Asian markets this season is estimated to fall 20%-30% year-on-year at Lac Hong Voyages Co., Ltd.
Similarly, Vietravel has recorded a sharp fall in the number of tourists from Europe and the United States. Some other tour operators forecast a slump of up to 30% in arrivals from Europe.
“Sometimes, we receive no bookings from customers even though we have done our best to attract them,” said Vietravel’s general director Nguyen Quoc Ky.
The global crisis has forced many travelers to cut down on spending, he said.
Europe known as the main visitor-generating market for Vietnam is now mired in the sovereign debt crisis, while Japan among other Northeast Asian nations is suffering from heavy damages caused by natural disasters.
Travel firms also attributed the fall in foreign visitors to the uncompetitive price on the local tourism market coupled with boring tourism products.
Most travel agencies reported a price hike of at least 15%-25% for package tours compared to the same period last year. Consequently, the local industry players find it hard to compete with foreign rivals who offer customers better prices.
“In other countries, when the price of gasoline increases, members in the tourism industry join forces together to overcome the difficulty, which hasn’t been seen in Vietnam so far,” Ky of Vietravel complained.
Another woe of the domestic tourism industry is poor products, pointed out Tran Vinh Loc, director of Lac Hong Voyages.
Local travel agencies have merely offered tours based on natural attractions along with shopping venues only, instead of arranging attractive entertainment services and other night programs for visitors.
Loc took the case of South Korea and Thailand as examples, in which the former offers a wide selection of shows to travelers and the latter often enriches its artistic programs with the participation of foreign art troupes in a bid to lure tourists.
“Given poor programs, we have failed to satisfy our customers who are offered only the Cu Chi Tunnels-Binh Tay Market-Ben Thanh Market route for one-day travel,” Loc said.
SGT
Similarly, Vietravel has recorded a sharp fall in the number of tourists from Europe and the United States. Some other tour operators forecast a slump of up to 30% in arrivals from Europe.
“Sometimes, we receive no bookings from customers even though we have done our best to attract them,” said Vietravel’s general director Nguyen Quoc Ky.
The global crisis has forced many travelers to cut down on spending, he said.
Europe known as the main visitor-generating market for Vietnam is now mired in the sovereign debt crisis, while Japan among other Northeast Asian nations is suffering from heavy damages caused by natural disasters.
Travel firms also attributed the fall in foreign visitors to the uncompetitive price on the local tourism market coupled with boring tourism products.
Most travel agencies reported a price hike of at least 15%-25% for package tours compared to the same period last year. Consequently, the local industry players find it hard to compete with foreign rivals who offer customers better prices.
“In other countries, when the price of gasoline increases, members in the tourism industry join forces together to overcome the difficulty, which hasn’t been seen in Vietnam so far,” Ky of Vietravel complained.
Another woe of the domestic tourism industry is poor products, pointed out Tran Vinh Loc, director of Lac Hong Voyages.
Local travel agencies have merely offered tours based on natural attractions along with shopping venues only, instead of arranging attractive entertainment services and other night programs for visitors.
Loc took the case of South Korea and Thailand as examples, in which the former offers a wide selection of shows to travelers and the latter often enriches its artistic programs with the participation of foreign art troupes in a bid to lure tourists.
“Given poor programs, we have failed to satisfy our customers who are offered only the Cu Chi Tunnels-Binh Tay Market-Ben Thanh Market route for one-day travel,” Loc said.
SGT
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