Domestic travel in the low season

Hoang Anh, a tourist from Hanoi, bought a three-day, two-night Da Nang tour combo in mid-August, including good-time airfare and a 3-star hotel for 3.9 million VND. If she bought the combo during the weekend, the price would be about 400,000 VND higher. The tourist considered this a good price compared to June when she saw a round-trip airfare from Hanoi to Da Nang for more than 5 million VND with good flight times.

According to Ms. Trang Nguyen, Head of Sales at Best Price Travel Company, domestic travel combo prices in August are mostly reduced by 30%, however, package tours are usually only reduced by 10% due to fixed costs and services reserved long in advance. Ms. Trang said that since the beginning of August, schools have started to reopen, so the demand for travel has decreased. In addition, it is also the 7th lunar month, so many people limit their travel, according to folk beliefs. The company's statistics show that the number of domestic tourists during this period has decreased by about 40% compared to two months ago.

A survey conducted by reporters on the afternoon of August 6 showed that the cheapest round-trip ticket price from Hanoi to Da Nang during the weekend of August (August 16-18) was about 2.6 million VND, with the departure flight being at night and the return flight being early in the morning - a price that has not changed much compared to the survey in July. Flights at good times cost from 4 million VND, depending on the airline, about one million VND cheaper than the survey in July.

The price of a good time air ticket from Hanoi to Nha Trang during the same period is about 5 million VND, one million VND cheaper than the survey in July. If you accept to fly early in the morning and return in the afternoon, the ticket price is about 4 million VND.

Mr. Pham Anh Vu, Deputy General Director of Viet Tourism Media Joint Stock Company, said that in early August, domestic airfares were "still relatively high" but would gradually decrease from mid-month. Airlines also launched many promotional programs to retain customers until the end of August, such as 25-30% discount on ticket prices for groups of 4 or 8 people, 0 VND tickets, and cheap tickets for some routes such as Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang or Phu Quoc.

Hotels nationwide are also in the discount season. In Phu Quoc, many 3-5 star hotels have reduced prices by about 30% compared to the peak season in June and July. Some hotels and resorts such as Wyndham Grand Phu Quoc, Sailing Club Signature Resort Phu Quoc and Seashells Phu Quoc Hotel & Spa have partnered with an airline to launch a combo promotion for guests staying in August.

With Wyndham Grand Phu Quoc, this hotel has a promotion of staying 3 nights for the price of 2 nights for customers who fly at night (from 9pm to 1am). The representative of the accommodation said that the room rate has also decreased by 20% compared to the previous peak period. Currently, domestic tourism is in the low season but foreign tourists from China, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong are still crowded, so this facility still has a stable number of guests, unlike every year.

According to a survey, before August 15, a 5-star resort in Nghe An had a rental price of about 2.2-2.6 million VND per night; after August 15, it dropped to nearly 1.4 million VND per night. In Da Nang, prices of many 4-star hotels have begun to decrease by about 40% compared to the peak summer season. In Cat Ba, a representative of a large resort said that the peak season of destinations near Cat Ba is usually calculated until August 15, then the price is reduced by about 30% until the end of the year.

Mr. Tran Quoc Hung, Head of Product Development at Mustgo - a booking platform with more than 2,000 hotel partners nationwide - said that room rates at hotels and resorts nationwide will fluctuate strongly from August 16 onwards, except for the September 2 holiday period, usually decreasing from 20% to 40% compared to the previous two peak months. In addition, units can launch additional promotions to attract customers to book rooms.

According to Mr. Vu, the number of tourists in August will decrease compared to June and July, but the demand for weekend trips and short-term vacations is still high. Destinations in mountainous and highland areas with cool weather still attract tourists.

After the summer tourist season ends, the company will prepare for autumn and winter tourism products, and tours to the North promise to attract customers with the ripe rice season and buckwheat flowers; tour prices are expected to increase by 5% compared to August. At the end of the year, the company will also offer some incentives for customers who book early to stimulate tourism demand.

In the last months of the year, Best Price plans to promote MICE tourism products (tourism combined with conferences and incentives), foreign tours to see the red and yellow leaves or domestic products to Sa Pa and Moc Chau. For less popular destinations at the end of the year, the company representative said that tour prices will be reduced by 5-10%.

According to Mustgo representative, after summer, international tours will continue to grow strongly with diverse prices and attractive programs. This will compete fiercely with domestic airfares and hotel room prices, greatly affecting the choice of domestic destinations.