While the 2014 FIFA World Cup is only four months away, only a handful of Vietnamese tourists have booked a tour package to Brazil this summer to enjoy the world’s largest football event.
According to Ho Chi Minh City travel firms, many customers have asked about their Brazil package, but few have ended up booking or paying a deposit for the tours. The main reasons, they say, are the exorbitant tour prices and the language barrier.
$5,600 package
Around 120 customers phoned Hoan My, a travel agency based in HCMC, last week to ask about summer tour packages to Brazil.
But most of them hung up saying they “needed more time to consider” upon hearing that a seven-day package costs at least VND120 million, or nearly US$5,600, according to company director Nguyen The Khai.
A round ticket from Vietnam to Brazil costs around $3,000 per person. This is equal to the airfare for a European tour lasting up to ten days.
Meanwhile, it takes at least 27 hours to fly from Vietnam to the 2014 World Cup host country, and up to 40 hours when transit time is counted. This means for a seven-day package, tourists will lose 80 hours, or more than three days, on the plane and only spend four nights in the South American country.
Khai said his company has so far received deposits from 20 customers, including only one woman, for the trip that departs on June 17 for the tourists to watch the Spain – Chile match a day later.
Vietravel, another travel agency, said it has only received booking from a company which awards its employees and clients with a World Cup trip, while individual customers are still nowhere to be seen.
Khai of Hoan My said besides costly airfare, the ticket prices for the World Cup are also an issue.
FIFA sets its official tickets at a reasonable $90 – $140 each, but actually buying these tickets is a complicated process.
“Our partners have informed us that tickets cost from $290 to $600 each, but they can increase to $1,000 – $1,500 as the tournament nears,” Khai said.
Hence, tour packages to Brazil for customers who book in March could rise to as much as VND200 million. Khai admitted that he would not be surprised if customers are discouraged by such an exorbitant price.
“We will show our customers the prices for hotels, match tickets, and flights as published by the service providers on the Internet and let them decide,” he said.
Language barrier
For football fans who can afford the costly Brazil trip, another obstacle that may dissuade them from the journey is the language barrier, since 99 percent of Brazilians speak Portuguese.
According to travel firms, not many people in the Brazilian tourism industry speak English, even including those in hospitality services like receptionists, servers, and taxi drivers.
It is also difficult to obtain a visa for Brazil as all forms and applications must be filled in and translated into Portuguese before being submitted to the Brazil Embassy in Hanoi, according to travel agencies that offer packages to South America.
Finding adequate accommodation is the final issue, as there are only a few hotels with English-speaking staff that are licensed to receive guests during the World Cup by FIFA.
“Vietnamese tourists may have to stay at hotels that are 10km away from the World Cup stadiums,” Khai said.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
