Asian destinations dominate the export Tet tour market

The extended holiday helps this year’s Tet tour market create two clear trends: domestic tours dominate in quantity, while outbound tours increase spending power.

Specifically, the foreign tours that Vietnamese customers are most interested in are in the price range of 25 – 45 million VND. This price is considered by experts to ensure service quality, journey time and experience during a long vacation.

Like many years ago, the 9-day Tet holiday makes the tour market more vibrant than years when the holiday only lasts 5-6 days. Mr. Bui Thanh Tu, Marketing Director of BestPrice Travel Company, said that purchasing power for Tet 2026 tours started earlier than the same period, especially in the group of customers who closed their tours 6-10 weeks in advance to reserve seats and optimize costs. “The number of booked customers increased by about 50% compared to the same period last year. Especially for tours with flight tickets, visas or hot routes,” Mr. Tu said.

According to Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu, Marketing and Communications Director of Vietluxtour, Japan and Korea are two traditional markets but “have never cooled down”. Vietnamese tourists especially like to go to Japan on this occasion to experience onsen bathing in the white snow and shopping for branded goods at the beginning of the year.

Besides Northeast Asian destinations, European tours also attract tourists. Inter-line tours of France – Germany – Belgium – Netherlands, 7-9 day schedule, tour price from 80 million VND, sell very well at many travel companies.

At Vigotour travel agency, this year’s Tet holiday recorded a boom in short-term routes. Since December, tours to Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia have almost filled seats, making this market extremely exciting. Along with that, China still maintains its position as the most popular destination with the Shanghai – Hangzhou – Suzhou – Wuzhen journey lasting 5-6 days, with prices ranging from 25 – 27 million VND.

Meanwhile, according to BenThanh Tourist’s statistics, this year’s Tet holiday, the business launched a series of high-end, great-value tours and received positive reception from the market. These include an England – Scotland tour with a package price of nearly 150 million VND, an Egypt tour of more than 82 million VND…

The Northeast Asia tour group with lower prices also recorded outstanding purchasing power, the number of remaining seats is very limited. According to estimates by BenThanh Tourist, the purchasing power of this year’s Tet tourism market increased by more than 15% compared to the same period last year.

Mr. Le Huy The, CEO of Sanna Tour Travel Company, shared that the company’s Tet tours at the present time are fully booked, both domestic tours and tours abroad. According to statistics, tours abroad increased by about 10% compared to the previous year. Tourists love and choose a lot in Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia. “It’s worth mentioning that this year, there are many supportive policies from countries and many new flight routes opened, so tour prices have not increased significantly compared to previous years,” Mr. The said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Le Thi Kim Chi, Deputy Director of domestic and foreign tourism, Vietnam Travelmart Joint Stock Company, acknowledged that foreign tours need time to get visas, so foreign buyers tend to book tours earlier and this year also tend to be earlier because customers book long tours. “Tours to Japan and China have received 70 – 80% of customers, and will only be suspended for the next 5 to 7 days. Domestic tours can still be purchased until Tet.”

Not only has the number of visitors and tour value increased, the foreign tourism market during Tet also witnessed a clear change in consumer tastes. According to the assessment of the travel agency Vietluxtour, family and middle-aged groups tend to book tours early to maintain good service, nice hotels and a stable schedule. Meanwhile, a portion of young guests or guests who are familiar with the destination are more flexible, waiting closer to the departure date to optimize finances and vacation schedules.

Another prominent trend is “travel fit.” Instead of long trips of over 10 days like before, most guests choose 4-6 day tours, designed to be streamlined but focused on relaxation. This time budget is both suitable for the official Tet holiday and helps visitors balance between spring travel and family reunions.

Additionally, experience is being prioritized over destination quantity. Tourists are no longer too interested in going to as many places as possible, but focus on comfortable resting spaces, quality, comprehensive services, personalized and different experiences, and limited crowding and queuing.

According to Vietluxtour, many families of 2-3 generations are willing to skip popular attractions to spend time enjoying the resort, enjoying local cuisine or simply resting in a private space.

Analyzing further, Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu said that although consumers this year are tightening spending in many areas, the budget for resort services and high-end experiences tends to increase. Tourists are willing to spend more for services that bring clear value such as: High quality hotels/resorts; Nice room, good location; Full service…

The high-end resort and private tour segments recorded better spending levels than the general average. Many tourist groups generously pay for hotel upgrades (from 4 to 5 stars), separate resorts or high-quality meals. This shows that the mindset of enjoyment and mental health care is on the rise.

From there, Mr. Bui Thanh Tu commented that, with current purchasing power, the 9-day Lunar New Year holiday will be a short-term boost for the tourism industry, as it can create positive growth momentum for the whole year 2026 if businesses and destinations do 3 things well: control peak service quality; price transparency – surcharges; and enhance the experience.