Prices of group tours to South Korea, Southeast Asia, Europe and the US are to rise slightly this summer from the spring, while those to Japan are to stay about the same, a poll released yesterday by the Travel Quality Assurance Association found.
However, overall expenses have dropped 10 percent compared with the same period last year due to an increase in available seating and lower airline ticket prices, the association said.
Liao Pei-yuan (廖培沅), spokesperson for the association’s Japan travel routes, said lower airfares and a more favorable exchange rate are driving up visits to Japan.
Photo: CNA
However, Liao warned that Japan’s strict enforcement of bus driver working hours could result in a somewhat scattered itinerary in terms of timing.
South Korea travel branch spokesperson Lin Yuen-yu (林岳雨) said that higher hotel prices and other expenses due to the summer season would mean a 10 percent increase in tour group prices.
The association also said that agencies have stopped arranging for groups to visit shopping centers and a slight increase in quality should be expected.
Southeast Asia travel branch spokesperson Lai Cheng-yu (賴澄宇) said that airfares to the region have increased by 3 percent due to the summer travel season.
Prices of group tours have also increased by 3 percent compared with fees quoted in April through June, he said.
Indo-China travel branch spokesperson Guan Ming-chieh (關銘傑) said that travel expenses to the region are expected to increase by 5 percent over the summer, and tour options that are not on sale have seen as much as a 10 percent increase.
The association said that European tours have seen significantly higher prices, with Europe branch spokesperson Chen Jung-hsin (陳榮信) saying that this was primarily due to UEFA Euro 2024 being held in Germany and the Paris Olympics.
Chen said that airfares to Europe have yet to return to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.
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