Tourists visit Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh. (Photo: VNA)HCM City – Many booked tours to northern provinces for the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday have been
postponed or changed amid the resurgence of COVID-19 infections in
the area two weeks before the holiday, travel firms have said.
Tours to the
northern provinces saw strong demand for the Tet holiday
as visitors from the tropical south sought to experience cold weather in
the north.
A
representative from Saigontourist said that customers were told about tour
cancellation and postponement policies when they booked tours.
Most
customers from Ho Chi Minh City with tours to the northeast and northwest
regions chose to cancel their bookings, while other customers switched
destinations to Phu Quoc and Con Dao islands in the south and to Da Nang,
Nha Trang and Phu Yen in the central region, the representative said.
A
representative from Fiditour- Vietluxtour said that customers in HCM City
had agreed to shift to short-distance destinations such as Vung Tau,
Phan Thiet and the Mekong Delta to replace their cancelled tours.
Most travel
firms have put in place different scenarios depending on the duration of the
COVID-19 crisis, and are offering different policies on tour
cancellations and postponements.
Nguyen Ngoc
Tan, General Director of Saco Travel, said demand for tours from HCM City
to the northeast region for Tet holiday
have been strong due to stronger tourism cooperation between HCM City and
the northeast region.
The outbreak
in the north, however, has resulted in many cancelled tours or
changes to other places, Tan said.
Most
customers asked travel agencies to refund their cancelled tour and
some group tours agreed to switch to a more appropriate time to travel, he
said.
Nguyen Nguyet
Van Khanh, deputy director of the marketing department at Vietravel, said the
company has prepared plans to adapt to any COVID-19 development.
Customers
are advised to change their destinations or ask for travel
vouchers that will be valid to April 30, Khanh said./.
