Vietnamese travelers prefer outbound tours amid high domestic airfares

Vietnamese travelers have already begun planning their trips for weeks, and instead of opting for domestic destinations many are choosing to travel abroad due to high airfares, said a local tour operator.

Most preferable tours are mainly in Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, including Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Republic of South Korea, China, and Japan, said the operator.

For example, the price of a tour to China is only about VND9 million to VND19 million per person. Meanwhile, the airfare of a domestic tour is equivalent or only a few million less than an outbound tour.

A local tourist also shared that the cost of a trip to the Republic of Korea and to Phu Quoc does not have a significant difference. Therefore, she and her family decided to choose to travel abroad in order to enjoy a more unique experience.

Travel firms also revealed that high airfares also prompted travelers to select road trips to northern Vietnam, with destinations such as Ninh Binh, Quang Ninh, Sa Pa, and Moc Chau proving popular.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) under the Ministry of Transport, the proposed increase in domestic air ticket prices is due to increasing fuel prices and exchange rate fluctuations.

However, such high prices will reduce the competitiveness of domestic tourism, especially when many countries are competing to boost tourism as a post-COVID growth driver, said industry insiders.

To meet the increasing travel demand for the coming long holiday, the CAAV has asked airlines to continue to add domestic and international flights to their schedules.

It also requested that local airlines work out appropriate aircraft maintenance plans to serve urgent travel needs, minimise flight delays and cancellations, and intensify control to ensure full aviation safety.