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| People book Tet tours (Photo: tuoitre.vn) |
However, the recovery has not been as fast as expected by travel businesses due to the influence of the general business situation.
Although there is more than a week left until Tet, the domestic tour market is already bustle, as customers often book tours close to the departure date. Many businesses said that they have prepared services throughout the festival to meet demand of tourists who have unexpected spring travel plans.
In addition, many people in recent years chose to celebrate Tet in major cities because they were also offered many new and interesting services and destinations. In 2022, in order to attract tourists to Ho Chi Minh City, the city's tourism sector introduced typical products with an aim of creating a unique and unforgettable experience.
Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, director of the municipal Department of Tourism, said that to date 17 out of the 22 districts and Thu Duc City have officially launched tours and typical products, creating new vitality for inner city tourism.
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Ho Chi Minh City welcomes the first visitors on the first day of 2023
(Photo for illustration/ Source: hcmcpv.org.vn) |
This year, countries and territories in Northeast Asia such as the Republic of Korea (RoK), Japan and Taiwan (China) are the most attractive to Vietnamese holidaymakers.
A representative from Vietravel – one of Vietnam’s largest tour operators, said that since Taiwan officially reopened its door last October, more than 150 customers visited the territory in autumn and winter, and more than 450 others have booked tours for this Lunar New Year.
This is considered a positive signal for not only Taiwan but also Northeast Asia, as the RoK and Japan reopened their doors earlier and have seen a positive number of Vietnamese tourists.
Tan Son Nhat airport receives record high of 120,000 passengers
As many as 120,000 passengers, including about 84,000 domestic passengers, passed through Tan Son Nhat airport on January 14.
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| Tan Son Nhat airport receives record high of 120,000 passengers (Source: vov.vn) |
This figure marks the highest level since the beginning of the peak season of the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet)
VOV reported the schedule of Tan Son Nhat airtport that it will operate a total of 868 take-off and landing flights on January 14.
From early in the morning travelers flocked to the airport in order to conduct check in procedures. Although the airlines’ counters and the security screening area were always crowded with customers, passengers faced no prolonged congestion.
During the peak season of the Lunar New Year running from January 5 to February 5, Tan Son Nhat airport is forecast to welcome approximately 130,000 visitors per day, with 90,000 being domestic passengers.
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| Photo for illustration (Source: vov.vn) |
A representative of Tan Son Nhat airport said that with a record high of 120,000 passengers recorded on January 14, the number of visitors is anticipated to continue rising moving forward.
During the entirety of Tet, the airport is expected to receive more than 3.8 million passengers with nearly 27,000 flights, representing a rise of nearly 10% compared to the same period from 2019 when the COVID-19 had not yet broken out.
As it is currently the peak season, Tan Son Nhat International Airport has moved to enhance aviation security control to Level 1.
Furthermore, the airport has also adjusted the co-ordination parameter of landing and take-off times to enable 44 flights per hour within the time frames of between 6 a.m, and 23:55 p.m., along with 36 flights per hour from 00:00 to 5:55 a.m..
This level is the highest seen compared to previous years when the average figure reached only about 40 takeoffs and landings per hour.
Taiwan’s StarLux launches route to Hanoi
StarLux Airlines of China's Taiwan began operating the first flight from Taipei to Hanoi-based Noi Bai International Airports on January 13, marking the launch of a new route between the two cities, reported VNA.
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| StarLux Airlines of China's Taiwan began operating the first flight from Taipei to Hanoi on January 13 (Photo: NIA) |
The flight will be conducted on a daily basis and last for three hours.
The opening of the new route, which connects Hanoi with the largest urban area of Taiwan, is expected to promote cooperation in terms of tourism development as well as economic, cultural and educational exchanges between the two sides.
The carrier is the first international airline to open a regular route to Hanoi in 2023 and one of the five international airlines to open a route to Hanoi after two years of being affected of the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier, airlines such as Thai Smile Airways, Fly Gangwon, and Myanmar Airways have launched routes to Hanoi.
With the presence of Starlux Airlines, the Noi Bai International Airport now hosts 58 international and domestic airlines carrying passengers and cargo, linking Hanoi with 60 foreign and 17 domestic destinations./.