The number of tourists in Vietnam on the lookout for outbound tours to Japan, South Korea, China, and Europe during the fall season is on the rise due to affordable prices offered by various tour operators and travel agencies.

Autumn travel has been increasing over the past several years, said Thi Quoc Duy, director of Ho Chi Minh City-based travel company BenThanh Tourist.

This week alone, BenThanh Tourist is scheduled to take two groups on packaged tours to Europe.

This season, Duy said, BenThanh Tourist's European tour offerings have seen a double number of guests compared to last year. 

Attempting to capitalize on the trend, Duy hopes to bring over 1,000 tourists to countries in northern Europe in the near future.

Within Europe, France, Switzerland, Italy, and the Netherlands are the hottest destinations, according to a statement made by Nguyen Huu Cuong, CEO of tour operator Trang An Travel, to news site VnExpress.

Trang An Travel offers particularly unique tours to these countries which feature visits to world famous attractions such as the windmills in Zaanse Schans, the Netherlands; the Swiss filming location for the Netflix series ‘Crash Landing on You;' and the charming ancient town of Colmar, France.

According to Doan Thi Thanh Tra, director of marketing and communications at Saigontourist Travel Service, tourists demand both high-quality experiences and high-quality services, thus, it is critical that tourism businesses put a focus on developing new and unique experiences.

Saigontourist’s fall tours have been filling up quickly despite carrying relatively high costs ranging from VND60 million (US$2,443) to VND100 million ($4,071), Tra said.

In Asia, destinations such as China, South Korea, and Japan are amongst the most popular, Tran Thi Bao Thu, marketing and communications director of Fiditour-Vietlux, told Nguoi Lao Dong (Labourer) newspaper.

The Korea Tourism Organization in Vietnam said on October 5 that about 300,000 tourists from Vietnam visited South Korea between January and September, representing roughly 72 percent of the pre-COVID-19 figure, according to Nguoi Lao Dong.

Data from the Japan National Tourism Organization in Vietnam accessed by Nguoi Lao Dong showed that nearly 400,000 Vietnamese visitors traveled to Japan in January-August, marking a 17.4-percent increase compared to pre-pandemic levels and the highest figure in the past four years.

Affordable prices are one of the reasons why these outbound tours have become so attractive to tourists, Tran Thanh Vu, CEO at Vinagroup Travel JSC, told Nguoi Lao Dong.

“Economic unrest has forced tourists to become more selective, and businesses are working to keep prices at competitive rates in order to keep tourists interested,” Vu said.

Despite autumn traditionally being an 'off season' with relatively low tourist demand and reduced airfares, other service-related expenses have surged, contributing to increased tour prices, according to VnExpress.

Several travel agencies have reported that this year’s fall tour rates have risen 15 percent in comparison to 2022 and 20 percent when compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Prices for the cheapest tours to mainland China, Taiwan, and South Korea range from VND10 million ($407) to VND15 million ($610) per guest. 

For Japan, prices fluctuate from VND17 million ($692) to over VND30 million ($1,221) per guest, while European tours typically cost between VND50 million ($2,035) and VND80 million ($3,256) per guest. 

The costliest options are tours to America which often exceed VND120 million ($4,885) per visitor.

Tu Quy Thanh, CEO of Lien Bang Travelink, told Nguoi Lao Dong tour operators have managed to keep the prices of outbound tours affordable, even lower than the same period last year, by making large booking deals with airlines and foreign partners for flight tickets and hotels at reasonable costs.

In addition, Vu credited the active promotional efforts of foreign tourism organizations for the rising popularity of fall travels to the aforementioned destinations among Vietnamese tourists.

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