VietNamNet Bridge – Travel firms tend to make heavier investment in necessary facilities to step up the tour sale via Internet.

Thanh Hong in Go Vap district in HCM City, a girl who likes traveling, said that in the past, she usually went to travel firms to get information about the tours. However, since 2012, she does not have to go there any more, because she can book tours via Internet and pay via credit cards or bank accounts.

“My family and I took a wonderful tour last summer to the sea city of Nha Trang after I booked a tour online,” Hong said

Hong said there are many reasons that prompt her to book tours and make payment via Internet. Since her house is far from travel firms’ offices, she cannot go to the offices regularly. Therefore, sitting home and searching information with computer is really a good choice.

The second reason, according to Hong, is that the online booking system allows her to compare the service fee and service quality offered by different travel firms so as to choose the best and the most reasonable.

The lists of inbound and outbound tours, the details about the itineraries of the tours, the tour fees, airlines, hotels, departure time… all can be shown on the travel firms’ websites for easy searching.

Tran Van Tien, who works for a building material company in Tan Binh district, noted that travel firms have “kept up with the times” when allowing travelers to book tours via their online systems. He said that the systems help attract many more travelers.

Tien said he many times book Vietravel’s tours via Internet. “Shortly after I made payment through bank account, I received an email confirming the payment. After that, the travel firm contacted me to inform the departure time and gave guidance on how to prepare for the trips,” Tien said.

Analysts have noted that travel firms nowadays do not regret their money to develop online booking instruments. They even regularly offer preferences to the travelers booking tours via Internet.

Vietravel, Viet Media Travel, Fiditour, TST Tourist, Hoa Binh Vietnam Tourist, VYC Travel all have their own websites that serve the tour booking and payment.

In general, travel firms offer the discount of 3-5 percent of the tour fees for the clients booking tours and making payment via Internet. Meanwhile, Vietravel offers the tours by installments with the zero interest rate to Sacombank card holders.

Travel firms have reported satisfactory results about the number of travelers booking via Internet. Vietravel, which began accepting online booking in 2006, now has the turnover from online clients accounting for 20 percent of total turnover with the online booking growth rate of 5 percent per annum.

A senior executive of Vietravel said though it was very difficult in the first phase of development, Vietravel still spent money to develop the online booking system. It has launched WAP versions designed for mobile phones.

The representative of TST Tourist also said that Internet is a powerful communication tool and that it has been joining forces with online newspapers to develop online services.

Fiditour has reported that 85 percent of its clients seek information about tours on the firm’s website.

SGTT