Hanoi (VNA) - Travel firms expect stronggrowth in tours for the summer holiday this year.

Tour prices have remainedunchanged as travel firms have been booking services more than one month inadvance.

The number of customersthis summer is expected to climb 20-30 percent compared to the same period last year, said Doan Thi Thanh Tra, marketing and communications director at Saigontourist.

While group tours accountfor 35 percent of bookings, tours forindividuals make up the rest, Tra said.  

Many travel firms offerpackage tours as well as services such as tickets for tourist attraction sites,Ha Long Bay cruises, restaurants and tour guides.  

A more diverse array ofservices, from which customers can pick and choose, has helped increase thenumber of bookings, Tra said.

More and more tourists arebuying separate services, she added.

Tran Thi Bao Thu, marketingand communications director at Fiditour, said the company was offering morethan 300 inbound and outbound tours this summer.

The number of bookings hasrisen by 15 percent compared to the sameperiod last year, Thu said.

To keep prices stable, thecompany has been working with its partners and service providers since thefourth quarter last year, she said.

Vietravel plans to spend atotal of 11.5 billion VND (508,000 USD) for its summer holiday promotionprogramme.

The company hopes toattract 220,000 customers in the three month period, a year-on-year increase of12 percent.

Ben Thanh Tourist hopes todouble the number of bookings in three months compared to last year’s figure.

Most of the company’s toursin June to Asian countries and territories such as Thailand, Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea, Malaysiaand Singapore are fully booked.

Beach tours are popularwith nearly every demographic segment, especially families and younger people.

Leisure tours to beaches atHa Long, Sam Son, Cua Lo, Ly Son, Da Nang and Nha Trang, Mui Ne, Con Dao andPhu Quoc islands at prices of 2.5-4.5 million VND (110-200 USD) have sold well,according to travel firms.

Tran The Dung, deputydirector of Young Generation Co Ltd., said most domestic tours to beaches andislands this summer were fully booked.

Beach tours to Phan Thiet city, Ninh Chu beach in Ninh Thuan province, Binh Hung and Binh Ba islands inKhanh Hoa province, and Ca Lao Xanh island in Quy Nhon city have attracted alarge number of customers this summer, Dung said.

Promotions by airlines havehelped keep prices stable, he said.  

The company predicts agrowth rate of 30 percent this summerholiday.

A booking official at OceanDunes Resort in Phan Thiet city said that rooms were fully booked for June,with most bookings made more than a month in advance by travel firms, companiesand schools in HCM City.

During the peak summerseason starting in early June to mid-August, Phan Thiet city is crowded withtourists from HCM City and neighbouring provinces, she said. 

To lure more tourists, manytravel firms and tour operators are offering new destinations such as Ky CoBeach, Hon Kho Island and Eo Gio (a natural strait) in the central coastalprovince of Binh Dinh.-VNA