New Year airfares to holiday destinations surge

The cheapest return fare from Hanoi to Phu Quoc for Dec. 29 and Jan. 1 are VND6.8 million (US$278), more than twice the normal rate, data from air ticket booking website Best Price showed.

After the New Year holidays the fare halves to VND3.4 million.

HCMC-Phu Quoc costs VND3.8 million, 2.5 times the fare earlier this month.

Tickets to Da Lat, the mountain town in the Central Highlands, and beach city Da Nang in the central region also cost nearly double the normal rate.

Return tickets between Dec. 29 and Jan. 1 cost VND4.7 million on the Hanoi-Da Lat route and VND3.7 million on the HCMC-Da Nang route.

“The skyrocketing air ticket prices will greatly affect the travel plans of tourists during the New Year holiday,” Bui Thanh Tu, marketing director of Best Price, said.

This year there is a three-day break for New Year since it falls on a Monday.

Tourism and aviation officials have warned that a double whammy next year – soaring airfares and people reducing spending on travel due to the economic downturn – will see the number of domestic air travelers decline sharply.