Airlines partner with travel firms to woo guests

Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Jetstar Pacific Airlines and Saigon RailwayCompany on December 23 inked cooperation deals with the HCMC TourismAssociation to jointly implement a travel stimulus program for nextyear.

This is the first time the railway company has teamed up with travelagencies for such a program to woo tourists. The company said it wouldknock at least 15% off its fares for tour operators and at the same timeimprove service quality.

Under the program, the airlines will not limit the number of seats fortour operators and provide hundreds of thousands of discount tickets forthem. Operators of low-cost tour packages can buy promotional ticketsoffered by the carriers for their domestic flights.

Ngo Thi Thu Hien, head of sales development at the Southern RegionBranch of Vietnam Airlines, said the national flag carrier can providetour operators with discounts of 40-70% plus more flexible polices tohelp them attract more guests to domestic tours.

Meanwhile, the two remaining airlines promised discounts of 10-90% and unlimited seats for travel firms.

Only 11,000 people bought promotional tours organized through thepartnership of airlines and travel firms in 2012 but the number soaredto 130,000 in the first 11 months of this year, said Nguyen Thi Khanh,deputy chairwoman of the HCMC Tourism Association.

Ha Nang Viet, deputy director of sales at Vietjet, said some 130,000buyers of promotional tours in the first 11 months of this yearaccounted for only 1% of the low-cost carrier’s total seating capacity.The airline now stands ready to boost cooperation with travel agenciesto attract more passengers and want the percentage to rise to 5-10%.

Khanh of the HCMC Tourism Association said the airlines’ support willenable members of the association to continue discounting their tourpackages by 20-40% next year and offer more promotions after its travelstimulus program with provinces become effective. Meanwhile, prices oftours by train will fall by 10-20%.

The number of 130,000 buyers of promotional tours in theJanuary-November period climbed more than 261% year-on-year. Theassociation expects such tours to attract many more travelers owing tothe improved quality of services and products.

Airlines partner with travel firms to woo guests

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