Noel and New Year tour: tours plentiful; prices surprising

This year, the Christmas and New Year holidays fall on the weekends promising a long combined holiday for travellers. Anticipating the high demand for long-day tours, travel companies have launched many attractive tours with competitive prices and special promotions to lure customers.

A lot of inbound and outbound tours

Since early November, tour operators, especially big ones like Saigontourist, Vietravel, Fiditour and Sago Tour, introduced very seductive inbound and outbound tour packages. FIDITOUR presented 200 tour programmes to renowned interesting destinations in India, Myanmar, Northern Europe – Norway – Sweden – Denmark; Japan – Fuji Mountain Skiing; Turkey; Australia – Melbourne – Canberra – Sydney; American East Coast – West Coast, etc. in addition to its traditional attractions in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia.

FIDITOUR also offers many options for domestic tours in southern, central and northern regions. A tour usually goes past many destinations to increase the chance of exploring the diverse New Year atmosphere in the country.

As the Christmas and New Year are the most important festivals for westerners, thus Red Tour focuses on outbound tours to foreign countries to bring in a new experience for travellers in addition to Noel – New Year tours in Vietnam. Travellers can book outbound tours to a 14-day Europe tour (Italy – Switzerland – France – Belgium – Netherlands, starting on December 29) at a price of US$3,299/person; an 8-day Australia tour (Melbourne – Canberra – Sydney, departing December 27) at a price of US$2,900; and a new 8-day Dubai – Egypt tour (departing December 27) at a price of US$2,750. Besides, tourists can also enjoy exciting experiences in Asian countries like skiing in South Korea with a 6-day Seoul – Cheju tour, departing December 21 and 29 at a price of US$989/person, or a 5-day Seoul tour, departing on December 31 at a price of US$789.

Saigontourist Travel Services Company also introduces more than 200 tours to meet a variety of customer tastes during the holidays.

Saigontourist designs thematic tours for customers to choose, ranging from economy IKO Travel to upmarket Premium Travel. Typical tours include sea tours, countryside tours and pagoda sightseeing tours. Especially, Saigontourist introduces very attractive domestic Lunar New Year tours like Da Lat – a city of flowers (3 days, from VND4.725 million), Sping in Nha Trang (3 days, from VND5.375 million), Spring on Phu Quoc Island (3 days, from VND5.325 million), Spring in Da Lat (4 days, from VND2.035 million).

Besides, the company also plans over 100 outbound tours during the Lunar New Year – the Year of Cat. Travellers will have chance to sightsee holy pagodas in Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan or discover the mysterious beauty of culture and nature in Turkey, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Europe, USA, Japan, South Korea and enjoy the Tet atmosphere with overseas Vietnamese people.

Surprising prices

Notably, customers will have the opportunity to win lucky promotions from travel companies when they book tours during the Lunar New Year Festival

Ms Tran Thi Bao Thu, Marketing Director of FIDITOUR, said: “From December 1, 2010 to January 31, 2011, when customers book tours at FIDITOUR offices in Ho Chi Minh City and settle 100 percent of tour value, they will have chance to win valuable gold by a mouse click on a computerised tree. The total value is VND500 million.”

In case customers do not book tours during the promotion time, they still have the chance to get lucky New Year gifts by joining an interesting travel game show on the FIDITOUR’s website www.fiditour.com. Lucky customers can win a VND5 million travel coupon and colourful bags.

Ms Nghiem Thu Hoa, Retail Director of Hanoi Redtours, said, Redtours also has many appealing promotion programmes for customers. For example, customers booking tours during the golden week from December 5 to December 10 will receive special offers from Hanoi Redtours like an 8-day “Welcoming New Year in Australia” (Melbourne – Canberra – Sydney), departing on December 27, at a flat price of VND60.9 million (US$2,900).

Saigontourist Travel Services Company continues its third promotion programme called “Win, You Must Win Big! Travel with Saigontourist during Tet to Win Five-Continent Tour – Asia, Europe, Africa, America and Australia, with 5-Star Yacht.” From December 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011, customers will receive a lucky draw ticket for every VND3 million on bills when they book inbound and outbound tours, buy air tickets, register to use study tours, buy Saigontourist Travel Voucher (or Travel Coupon) at offices and branches of Saigontourist Tourism Services Company nationwide (Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Da Nang, Hanoi and Quang Ninh).

Ms Doan Thi Thanh Tra, Marketing Director of Saigontourist, said: With Premium Travel package (luxury fly – cruise combination) to Singapore – Thailand – Malaysia on luxury SuperStar Virgo yacht, award of the programme has been expanded to seven countries. Luckiest customers will have the opportunity to visit and relax on luxury SuperStar Virgo yacht of Star Cruises Group, to watch the Oyster Theatre in the sun on the charming bay of Sydney (Australia), sail across romantic bridges on the Seine River in Paris (France), set foot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (USA), visit the Cape of Good Hope where the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean meets (South Africa).

Specially, Saigontourist’s customers will also be presented full insurance premiums on domestic tours with coverage of up to VND60 million per person and outbound tours with coverage up to US$30,000 (European customers may be indemnified US$100,000/person). – VCCI

Tags: New Year tours, Noel tours