Tour fees are expected to rise across the board in the coming months, with tours to the US and Canada seeing the largest jump in prices, the latest data by the Travel Quality Assurance Association (TQAA, 旅行業品保協會) showed.
Between next month and June, tour fees for groups heading to the US and Canada will increase by between NT$10,000 and NT$20,000 compared with the same period last year, mostly on rising airfare, the association said in a press statement.
“Airfares are soaring because local airlines increased the number of direct cross-strait flights in response to growth in Chinese tourist arrivals, which edged out other outbound flights,” TQAA spokesperson Jones Chen (陳屬庄) told reporters on Friday.
Chen said airfare for US-bound flights would double in the next quarter, while those for Japan and Europe would see a 30 percent increase and Southeast Asia a likely increase of between 15 percent and 20 percent.
“With increased global business and soaring international crude oil prices, many airlines have raised their ticket prices,” Chen said, adding that airfare would likely continue to rise throughout the year.
TQAA data showed that tour fees for New Zealand would rise by about NT$10,000 in the next quarter, while those for Australia would see an increase of between NT$4,000 and NT$10,000.
Chen said travelers should plan their itineraries as soon as possible before flight tickets are sold out.
“Those who plan to travel overseas on a limited budget should not wait,” he said.
“A hike in tour fees is not necessarily a bad thing for customers” as it could improve the quality of services provided by travel agencies, Chen said, adding that experience showed that aggressive price competition often resulted in poor service quality.
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