Southeast Asia and South Korea among cheapest destinations to travel – Taipei Times

A FACTOR:
It is harder to find accommodation in Southeast Asia as Chinese people are once again allowed to join tour groups, the Travel Quality Assurance Association said.

• By Shelley Shan / Staff Reporter

People planning to travel abroad in the fourth quarter of this year might consider group tours to Southeast Asia and South Korea due to the relatively slight increase in travel costs compared to 2019, according to a quarterly report by the Travel Quality Assurance Association. . yesterday.

The association also published reasonable group tour prices to popular tourist destinations in the fourth quarter for consumers to use as a reference.

Fun Travel International Travel Service CEO Dave Hsieh (謝天恩), who is also the association’s director of tourism for Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, said travel prices in these countries would increase by about a 15 percent in the fourth quarter. compared to the same period in 2019, due to increases in international oil prices and increases in accommodation costs.

However, total travel prices will fall by about 5 percent from the third quarter of this year due to lower flight prices, he said.

“In general, airlines offer around a 20 percent discount to increase the passenger load factor. However, most of the seats on the flights are allocated to individual travelers as it is Christmas season in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand,” he said.

Accommodation in Southeast Asian countries has become harder to find after China allowed its citizens to join foreign tour groups in February, he said, adding that some hoteliers have even raised their room prices by about 30 percent. for the Chinese National Day long weekend from October 1. to October 7.

Worldwide Travel Service deputy general manager Chan Kuo-ching (常國慶) said tour prices to South Korea would increase about 15 percent in the fourth quarter over the same period in 2019, due to a rise in flight prices.

However, the total price of the tour would be about 20 percent higher than in the third quarter, Chan said.

Flight prices may “have room to decrease” as some of the airlines resume their flight services or launch new ones, he said, adding that 90 percent of flights between Taiwan and South Korea have resumed so far. South.

Kuan Ming-chieh (?銘傑), special assistant to the president of Pin Kuan International Travel Service, said Vietnam travel costs would rise 20-30 percent from 2019 due to price increases. world oil prices and inflation.

“As Indochina is entering the peak season for international travelers, travel costs in the fourth quarter would be 10 to 20 percent higher than those in the third quarter due to increased flight prices and costs. accommodation,” Kuan said.

Meanwhile, the costs of travel to Europe would rise about 20 percent in the fourth quarter over the same period in 2019 due to an increase in the prices of flights, accommodation, and transportation and dining expenses, according to The report.

However, touring costs would fall about 10 percent starting in the third quarter, he said.

Although many airlines have launched new flight services to Japan, travel costs to the country have nearly tripled compared to 2019 due to flight prices, staff shortages, the devaluation of the yen, limited accommodation, and high percentage of Japanese traveling within the country, according to the report.

Traveling to Japan on weekdays now costs twice as much as during the New Year holidays in 2019, the report added.

“Compared to the third quarter, travel to Japan would cost 30 to 40 percent more in the fourth quarter due to the maple leaf season running from next month through November. Many companies would invite their employees on incentive trips in Japan,” the report says.

Travel to Australia and New Zealand would cost 25 to 23 percent more than in 2019 respectively, while travel to the United States and Canada would rise by 50 to 70 percent due to flight price increases and other costs, he said.

Cost increases for travel to the Middle East, Central Asia and African countries would range from 30 percent to 100 percent compared to 2019 due to increases in labor and accommodation costs, according to the report.

Trips to Israel would increase by 50 to 80 percent from 2019, while those to Egypt would double, he said.

Trips to East Africa in Q4 would be 10 percent cheaper following the Mara River migration in Q3, while Turkey would cost 15 to 20 percent less than in Q3 because it would be winter, according to The report.