Overseas travel during Chinese New Year sees sharp price hikes – Hokkaido tour packages up 30%, with costs reaching up to NT$80,000

▲ Hokkaido travel, beloved by many, will see prices peak at NT$80,000 during the Chinese New Year period, with increases of over 30%. (Photo / Provided by Furano Tourism Association)

Reported by Chen Ruizhong / Taipei

The winter vacation and Chinese New Year travel peak are approaching. On the 27th, the Republic of China Travel Quality Assurance Association announced reference prices for tour packages from January to March 2014, including prices during the Lunar New Year period. Among them, prices for short-term trips to Southeast Asia, Japan, and other destinations during the holiday have risen, with the most popular luxury Hokkaido tours in Japan seeing the highest increase of up to 30%. However, prices in some regions have remained flat or even dropped, such as in Europe.

This year, as the Chinese New Year holiday lasts only six days, short-duration trips are expected to perform strongly; as a result of supply and demand effects, prices have also risen accordingly. Among them,Japan, favored by Taiwanese travelers, due to the pressure of the short holiday period coinciding with the peak season for hot springs and snow viewing, as well as seasonal events such as the Sapporo Snow Festival and the Abashiri Drift Ice Sightseeing Icebreaker, combined with continued interest in international cruise itineraries. Although compared to the previous quarter, regular period prices are still more favorable, tour package prices during the holiday will be
NT$5,000 to NT$20,000 higher than usual, with prices starting from NT$50,000, and the most popular luxury Hokkaido tours reaching a new high of NT$80,000.

% Sodium Fan P? will announce the reference selling prices for the first quarter of 2014 on the 7th. (Photo / Taken by Chen Ruizhong)

As for theSoutheast Asia line,which has seen frequent recent incidents, the Chinese New Year holiday will mainly rely on scheduled flights, with fewer additional flights, coupled with local inflation, leading to slight increases in hotel and transportation costs, which in turn raise the prices of travel products.
The spokesperson for the Quality Assurance Association’s Southeast Asia line prices,Sui Guizhen,stated that compared to the Red Shirt protests, the current protest areas in Thailand are smaller and more peaceful, but there is still some impact, causing some backpackers to hesitate about traveling to Bangkok. However, this has not yet led to group cancellations, and the Tourism Bureau continues to monitor the local situation.

Regions such asHong Kong and Macau,due to ample hotel and flight supply, have stable prices;Mainland China

offers many discounted options, but during the Lunar New Year holiday, prices will fluctuate depending on factors such as local weather and flight availability.Additionally,the Americas and Canada line,due to the longer travel duration and the honeymoon phase of the visa-free effect having passed, prices are expected to stabilize, but housing and transportation costs will still push up tour package prices.In

Europe,as it is currently snow season, many outdoor activities will shift to indoor visits, with an emphasis on improving food and accommodation quality, and there will be minor fluctuations in prices across different regions.Other destinations such asSouth Africa, India, and Nepalhave stable prices, while the Australia and New Zealand line has seen price increases due to entering the peak season.

As next year's Lunar New Year holiday lasts only six days,the domestic tourism marketis experiencing a shortage of available rooms, especially in Kenting and the Eastern and Central Taiwan regions, which are the most in demand. It is estimated that room prices across various destinations will rise by 70–150% during the Spring Festival period. The public is advised to compare options carefully.

In addition, the Travel Quality Assurance Association has also announced the official establishment of the"Travel Transaction Safety Committee,"which will assist consumers in monitoring issues such as market pricing and misleading advertisements to ensure the quality of travel experiences.