Cheaper group tours can be expected from October to December due to the appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar and a significant increase in outbound flights, the Travel Quality Assurance Association told a news conference in Taipei yesterday as it announced what it considers would be reasonable prices for group tours in the fourth quarter.
Group tours to Japan are expected to be 5 to 10 percent cheaper than the same period last year due to the depreciation of the yen, the association said.
Moreover, travel agents have lowered profit margins in the fourth quarter due to economic uncertainty, as well as to attract clients who might have been put off visiting Japan in the third quarter by a rumor that a huge earthquake was to strike Japan on July 5, said Aron Huang (黃清涼), the association’s Japanese tour specialist.
Photo: CNA
“Japan is a weak travel market for the first time in 30 years,” Huang said. “Even the highly anticipated World Expo in Osaka has not yet generated the momentum that people expected.”
Group tour prices to Japan surged 30 percent when the nation’s borders reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
Tour costs are likely to be about the same or decrease by about 5 percent in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, unless there is a drastic fluctuation of the yen, he said.
Group tours to South Korea in the fourth quarter would cost about the same as the same period last year due to a sufficient supply of flights and a relatively stable exchange rate between the two countries, the association said.
While tours to Singapore would likely rise 15 percent from a year earlier due to the Singapore Formula 1 race being held in October this year as opposed to September last year, tours to Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia are expected to be 10 percent cheaper to boost sales, it said.
As for tours to other countries in mainland Southeast Asia, the number of people visiting Vietnam is expected to rebound significantly in the fourth quarter after the country’s rainy season ends, with Hanoi and Da Nang popular travel destinations for tours, it said.
Jack Tsai (蔡承廷), the association’s mainland Southeast Asia tour specialist, said that a new tax system is to be implemented in Vietnam, which could increase tour costs to the nation.
Meanwhile, tour prices for North America would drop by 5 to 8 percent due to the appreciation of the NT dollar and an increase in flights to Seattle, the association said.
Tours prices to Europe would likely increase by 10 to 12 percent, driven by ongoing inflation and rising costs for airfares, hotels, transportation and dining, it said.
Prices for tours to Central Asia and Africa in the fourth quarter would remain stable from the same period last year or decrease slightly, the association said.
However, Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa would be entering their peak travel seasons, with average price increases of about 20 percent, it said.
Costs of package tours to New Zealand would be up by about 7 percent, while those to Australia would be down by about 14 percent, the association said, adding that domestic tour prices are expected to be unchanged.
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