A number of China-based travel firms that
bring Chinese tourists to Vietnam via the Huu Nghi border gate in Lang Son are
forcing local partners to pull down prices.
A
four-day-three-night tour is priced at only 300 yuan, or VND1 million, so
services are poor, affecting the image of Vietnam as a tourism destination.
A
senior source from the Travel Department of the Vietnam National Administration
of Tourism said many local tour operators are complaining about this situation.
Previously, similar tours are priced at 500 yuan, but now when service prices
pick up, the foreign partners push prices down to 300 yuan, leading to low
service quality.
“A meal
for tourists is suggested at VND30,000, then quality cannot be guaranteed.
Price squeeze, quality impairment occur more and more frequently,” said the
source.
Tour
programs for Chinese visitors coming via the Huu Nghi border gate are usually
traditional tours from Lang Son to Hanoi, Haiphong and Quang Ninh. Now, this
kind of tour has been expanded to the central region.
Despite
expanded tour routes and better conditions for border crossing, the number of
tourists is dropping.
“The
tourist source is huge, but only tens of thousands of tourists cross the border
gate every year, and now the volume is falling. Poor service is one of the
reasons,” said the source from the travel department.
China
is currently the biggest source market for Vietnam’s tourism with more than 1.4
million arrivals in 2011. Tourists from this neighboring country can enter
Vietnam using passports or laissez-passers via the inland border gates in Lang
Son and Lao Cai or by sea.
The
fact that Chinese partners are pushing down prices and cut down on services not
only happens at border gates, but also in other road tours. Several companies
accept to lose partners and tourists as they cannot reduce prices further.
SGT
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