Low-cost tours in Danang are offered to target the Chinese and
South Korean markets whose tourists make up over half of the international
arrivals to the central coastal city, according to a source working in the
tourism industry.
The city government has appointed the municipal Department of Tourism to review
low-cost tours in Danang City to clarify the operations of such tours and
evaluate their impact on the city’s economy.
Representatives of travel firms noted that low-cost tours targeting Chinese and
South Korean tourists mainly benefit from additional fees charged for the tour
and commission gained on any shopping done by the tourists during the tour.
Various low-cost tours have been offered as a solution to attracting more
customers. Domestic travel firms have found it hard to compete with foreign
firms, and some local entities turn to helping foreigners operate tours
illegally.
Cheap tours, in addition to their advantages, including addressing unemployment
and generating profits for certain enterprises and residents, risk spoiling the
tourism environment in terms of prices and tour quality, among other problems.
Nguyen Ngoc Anh, director of the tourism firm Omega Tours, suggested that many
South Korean tourists are interested in open tours or cheap tours as they pay
little for travel, hotel and restaurant services.
“Korean partners take customers to shops run by South Korean people, so
Vietnamese firms fail to earn anything,” Anh added.
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