Low-cost tours in Danang are offered to target the Chinese and South Korean markets whose tourists make up over half of the international arrivals to the central coastal city, according to a source working in the tourism industry.

Chinese tourists are seen at the T20 beach in Danang City

The city government has appointed the municipal Department of Tourism to review low-cost tours in Danang City to clarify the operations of such tours and evaluate their impact on the city’s economy.

Representatives of travel firms noted that low-cost tours targeting Chinese and South Korean tourists mainly benefit from additional fees charged for the tour and commission gained on any shopping done by the tourists during the tour.

Various low-cost tours have been offered as a solution to attracting more customers. Domestic travel firms have found it hard to compete with foreign firms, and some local entities turn to helping foreigners operate tours illegally.

Cheap tours, in addition to their advantages, including addressing unemployment and generating profits for certain enterprises and residents, risk spoiling the tourism environment in terms of prices and tour quality, among other problems.

Nguyen Ngoc Anh, director of the tourism firm Omega Tours, suggested that many South Korean tourists are interested in open tours or cheap tours as they pay little for travel, hotel and restaurant services.

“Korean partners take customers to shops run by South Korean people, so Vietnamese firms fail to earn anything,” Anh added.

SGT