Hanoi (VNA) –⛦ As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has left travelling fans grounded for an indefinite time, staycations definitely has great appeal for them, particularly when the upcoming National Day holiday lasts only one day (September 2).

Staycation means a holiday spent in home country instead of travelling abroad, or one spent in and around the hometown.

The novel coronavirus outbreak has forced Vietnamese to postpone vacations, leaving thousands of travel vouchers in mothballs while the hospitality industry was hit with waves of booking cancellations.

Thanks to the Government’s efforts to put the outbreak under control, travellers now feel more secure to travel to “safe zones”.

Most travel agencies in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have reported that despite the pandemic, they had seen an increase of bookings for short tours of one or two days to safe destinations.

 
Not far from Hanoi, tours to Hoa Binh, Ninh Binh, Tam Dao (Vinh Phuc province), Pu Luong (Thanh Hoa province) or several outskirts localities like Ba Vi and Bat Trang are the most suitable for a one-day getaway.

𝕴 In the south, a majority of tourists have booked tours prioritising HCM City neighbouring areas with a high safety index for COVID-19 such as Da Lat, Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Long An, Tien Giang and Can Tho.

A report from Vietravel revealed that for September 2 this year, the company has shifted focus from large groups of tourists to families or small groups with basic services such as support for booking, buying tickets and car rental to destinations such as Phu Quoc and Vung Tau.

Staycation has won the taste of young people in recent time as it is an easy way to take a break without travelling too far. Besides, it is a wonderful way of spending joyful vacations without hurting one’s pocket. Several travel agents said they have set up short tours for selected customers who do not come from COVID-19-hit areas and show no symptoms of the disease, as well as prioritised those who have COVID-19 negative certificates.

Attractive promotions

In an effort to drum up business, travel agencies have designed a variety of short-term tours, with some companies even offering affordable prices for high standard services. For example, Vietravel has offered stays at 4-5 star hotels in HCM City at between 1.3 million VND (56 USD) and 3.4 million VND (147 USD) per night for two people, a discount of 50-70 percent. This type of product, according to a company representative, is mainly for customers in the city or from neighbouring areas to enjoy luxurious services at affordable prices. TST Tourist Company has launched short-term tour products, prioritising destinations near HCM City and in the city.

Currently, the tours offered by the company for 1-2 days cost from 700,000 VND to about 1.8 million VND per person. Over the past few days, the number of visitors who register for these tours has also increased significantly, the firm said.

In Hanoi, five-star hotels are offering bookings with strong discount.

Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, an iconic architectural landmark in downtown Hanoi has launched the “Metropole Luxury Getaway” package, priced from 4.42 million VND per night for Premium Room (Opera Wing); and the one-day relaxing programme at Metropole, price from 1.16 million VND per day (from 10:00 to 16:00). The two packages are applicable for booking and staying until December 20.

ไMeanwhile, InterContinental Hanoi Landmark 72 is providing the “Stay and Savour” package at 4 million VND per night. The package’s inclusions are a choice of lunch buffet or dinner set menu on weekdays/dinner seafood buffet on weekends for two, upgrade to Premier Room for free, 20 percent saving on food and beverage at all restaurants and bars, and 30 percent savings on a second room purchase. The package is available until September 30./.