‘Free & Easy’ tour service popular in Vietnam

‘Free & Easy’ tour service which arranges air travel tickets and hotel bookings without tour itineraries and tour guides is gaining popularity in Vietnam due to escalating prices in domestic travel.

Local tour operators offer cheap deals in a bid to maintain domestic customers, though the popularity of the ‘Free & Easy’ service has made many tourism agencies unhappy in recent time.

The number of people registering for ‘Free & Easy’ tours increased sharply this year. By choosing ‘Free & Easy’ tours people can meet their tightened budget but tour companies have seen a reduction on package tours this year.

Pham Duc Hoa, deputy head of the Domestic Travel Department of Saigon Tourist, said that the number of people registering for package tours has dropped considerably; hence, the company has been compelled to promote ‘Free & Easy’ tours.

During the recent four-day long holiday, the number of people registering for ‘Free & Easy’ tours was about 25-30 per cent.

Now not just tourist agencies but also airlines seem to exploit this service for domestic and foreign destination travellers.

Hoa believes that the widespread popularity of this service will surely affect businesses and sales in tourist agencies.

Package tours were always the best choice for the elderly, but ‘Free & Easy’ tours are very popular with the young who need not depend on tour schedules and can afford a reasonable rate.

Hoa thinks that single tourists or those wanting to travel in small groups are more interested in this service because they can arrange more personalized tours. Customers can call the company to ask for ‘Free & Easy’ service and book air tickets or hotel rooms and plan their vacation as per these bookings. – SGGP

Tags: Vietnam Tourism, VIetnam tours