While increasing airfares and other fees and the economic difficulty have resulted in a sharp fall in the number of travellers, many HCM City travel firms have decided to design budget tours to retain clients.

A manager of a firm in District 1 said road and air tour prices have increased by 15-25 per cent. Hikes have also reported in room rates and food and service costs.

A two-day tour of Phan Thiet now costs VND970,000 (US$450), while a trip to Vung Tau is VND700,000 and to Hue – Quang Binh – Da Nang VND5.2-5.7 million. A six-day tour to Ha Noi costs VND10 million.

Tran The Dung, deputy director of The He Tre Travel Company, said most people in HCM City now choose two – to three-day tours to Phan Thiet, Ninh Chu, and Vung Tau to save cost.

In the past, in summer, his firm received a lot of orders from companies and others booking long tours to Hue or Ha Noi, but regular clients have decided not to travel this year, or chosen short tours to Phan Thiet or Vung Tau, he said.

Many other travellers have simply chosen outbound tours instead of domestic tours because they are getting cheaper. It only costs US$200 to travel to Cambodia and $350-380 to visit Thailand.-VNS