More
than 27,200 local tourists have bought promotion tours this year to date, or
twice the number last year, prompting the Tourism Stimulus Team 2010 to ask the
national tourism agency and more airlines to join hands for new promotion
programs next year.

Local tourists in the World Heritage site of My Son in the central province of Quang Nam. (Photo: SGT)

Tran The Dung, deputy head of the
team, said that prices of package tours to familiar destinations like Danang,
Hue city, Hai Phong, Hanoi, Can Tho and Buon Ma Thuot have been slashed by 30% to 35%
compared to the normal prices, capturing strong attention from local travelers.

Vietnam Airlines has lent a big
helping hand by slashing prices of air tickets by half, while several travel
service providers have marked down prices by 5% to 10%.

Furthermore, members of the Tourism
Stimulus Team 2010 have reduced their profit margins by some 15% to bring better
benefits for tourists under the promotion program.

According to him, the team should
have catered to more tourists if the weather in the central provinces had been
better in the past few months.

“But we’ve got better business with
more and more travelers asking for such tours, and that’s why we now call on the
Vietnam National Administration for Tourism and other airlines like Jetstar
Pacific and Mekong Air to make a similar program next year,” Dung told the
Daily.

Up to 26 travel companies in HCMC
have clubbed together under the so-called Tourism Stimulus Team 2010 to jointly
promote discounted tours for travelers. The team has been recognized by the HCMC
Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

All companies in the new club are
popular names in the travel industry such as Saigontourist Travel Service Co.,
Ben Thanh Tourist, V.Y.C Travel, Youth Tourist, Fiditourist, Lua Viet, Young
Generation Travel Co., Ltd, Peace Tour and SPSC Tour.

VietNamNet/SGT