Local tour operator Anh Duong plans to suspend chartered flights linking Russia and HCMC and Phu Quoc Island in mid-January due to a sharp fall in Russian tourists.

Russian tourists are welcomed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Anh Duong Tourist Company plans to stop chartered flights linking Russia and HCMC and Phu Quoc in mid-January next year due to low demand from Russia.

Hoang Thi Phong Thu, chairwoman of Anh Duong Tourist Company, said her firm is still arranging air services for Russian tourists to travel to HCMC and Phu Quoc. However, it plans to stop these services as they attract few Russian passengers.

Earlier, the company organized frequent chartered flights with Russian tourists on board to HCMC and Phu Quoc Island off mainland Kien Giang Province. However, the number of flights this month has been reduced to 10 and will be halved next month before suspension.

“We are not certain when we will resume them. We have to wait for the market to recover and the demand is weak at the moment,” Thu said.

Anh Duong and its partner Pegas Touristik have served a majority of Russian visitors to Vietnam. They have arranged tours for more than 190,000 Russian tourists this year, up 20% compared to last year, but the number of their guests may go down by up to 50% in the ongoing winter season.

Thu attributed the weak demand from the Russian market to the sharp Russian rouble fall against the U.S. dollar. However, Anh Duong and Pegas Touristik are managing to overcome difficulties and explore new markets.

Anh Duong will have a monthly chartered flight between Vietnam and Kazakhstan from December 26 this year.

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, more than 330,000 Russians had visited Vietnam in January-November, up 25% year-on-year. The agency expected to welcome one million Russian travelers by 2020.

A source said a number of chartered flights bringing Russian tourists to Khanh Hoa Province will likely be suspended early next month. Cam Ranh airport in the central province now handles the largest number of Russian visitors to Vietnam.