Local airlines have extended cooperation with travel firms to offer promotional tours next year given a strong increase in guests this year.

Ngo Thi Thu Hien (L), head of sales development at the Southern Region Branch of Vietnam Airlines, and Tran Hung Viet, chairman of the HCMC Tourism Association, exchange a cooperation deal in HCMC on December 23.

Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Jetstar Pacific Airlines and Saigon Railway Company on December 23 inked cooperation deals with the HCMC Tourism Association to jointly implement a travel stimulus program for next year.

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

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

Ngo Thi Thu Hien, head of sales development at the Southern Region Branch of Vietnam Airlines, said the national flag carrier can provide tour operators with discounts of 40-70% plus more flexible polices to help 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 the partnership of airlines and travel firms in 2012 but the number soared to 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 130,000 buyers of promotional tours in the first 11 months of this year accounted for only 1% of the low-cost carrier’s total seating capacity. The airline now stands ready to boost cooperation with travel agencies to attract more passengers and want the percentage to rise to 5-10%.

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

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