On the eve of the traditional lunar New Year festival, travel companies are busy preparing for the Tet holiday demand. Due to higher than expected demand this year, many companies stopped accepting reservations a month ago.
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Dalat flower festival- Source:Tin tuc
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The lunar new year is a busy time for travel companies, especially prestigious ones such as Saigontourist, Viettravel and Vitour. Mr. Nguyen The Vinh, Director of the Saigontourist Company said: "A long holiday during Tet creates a good business opportunity for us. Tet plans are often made 6 months before Tet and based on the length of the holiday, we have designed appropriate tours. We try to make our tours relaxing for customers".
Mr. Vinh says that long tours of Nha Trang, Da Lat and Phan Thiet are the most popular with tourists from HCM City at this time of the year. "These tours often start a few days after New year’s eve and last for a couple of days. I hope that more customers will take tours to distant places like Da Nang. The first lunar month is peak season for our company because many festivals are held in the north during this month. But, we also nook a lot of tours to southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, China, the Republic of Korea, Japan and even to the US and Australia. Tours of Australia and Southeast Asia are fully booked", said Mr. Vinh
Prices of inbound tours have increased 10% due to rising airfares, yet, demand remains high. Mr. Vinh says tours of Da Lat and Lam Dong have attracted a lot of customers. Deputy Director of Lam Dong province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc says Da Lat city can accommodate around 40,000 customers a day: "Decorations of the recent flower festival are still on display in the city. The weather this year is more favorable than in previous years producing peach blossoms right on time for the lunar new year festival. Tourist products and services as well as local infrastructure have been steadily improving in Da Lat".
Ms Ngoc says Da Lat is a popular destination: "Visiting Da Lat, you can also take one day tours of Khanh Hoa and Nha Trang, or Mui Ne in Binh Thuan province. From Da Lat, tourists can also take flights to Da Nang, HCM City and Hanoi. Many travel companies have designed attractive tours for tourists to and from Da Lat".
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| Spring in Bac Ha |
Meanwhile, in the north, Lao Cai remains the first choice for travel lovers during Tet. Deputy Head of the Tourism Department Hoang Thi Vuong says visitors to Lao Cai increased 20% this year: "As this year’s Tet holiday will be long, we have invested in diversifying our tourist products, We have revived some traditional festivals, which promise to be great attractions for tourists, especially foreigners".
In Lao Cai, Sapa and Bac Ha are the most popular destinations for tourists. The severe cold weather there doesn’t deter travel lovers. "The spring flowers and trees in Sapa are very beautiful while Bac Ha is known as a white plateau when white apricot flowers blanket the area. It’s a unique experience for tourists", said Ms Vuong.
Lan Anh