International tour prices see biggest surge to Europe during Spring Festival, Japan tours drop by at least NT$3,000

By Liu Jiawen, compiled and reported

Travelers planning to go abroad during next year’s Spring Festival holiday should prepare for higher expenses. The Republic of China Travel Quality Assurance Association has released reference prices for tour packages from January to March 2012. Due to factors such as rising oil prices and exchange rates, tour prices for many routes have increased. Popular destinations including Southeast Asia, Mainland China, Europe, and New Zealand-Australia have seen price hikes ranging from around NT$1,000 to NT$12,000 compared to last year, while Japan tour prices have dropped by NT$3,000 to NT$5,000. Prices for the U.S. and Canada routes remain unchanged.

With next year’s winter vacation starting earlier and the nine-day Spring Festival break, the number of people planning to travel abroad has not been affected by the economic climate—in fact, it has increased, showing strong demand in the travel market. Du Peiyu, deputy convener of the Supervisory Committee, said: “Visa-free European tours are the most popular during the Spring Festival period, with bookings already at 80% to 90%. Tour prices have risen by approximately NT$6,000 to NT$12,000, and some tours may even see increases of NT$40,000 to NT$50,000.” In Southeast Asia, for example, routes such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, which are close to Taiwan, have seen price increases of about NT$2,000 to NT$6,000. Mainland China tours have gone up by about NT$2,000 to NT$8,000, and New Zealand-Australia tours have also risen by about NT$11,000.

Budget-conscious travelers might consider visiting Japan or North America. For Japan tours, since airfare increases during the winter vacation were not as high as last year, overall prices for the New Year and winter vacation period have dropped by about NT$3,000 to NT$5,000 compared to last year. U.S. and Canada tour prices for the Spring Festival period are similar to last year, and due to lower ticket prices, Western Canada tours have even dropped by NT$3,000 to NT$5,000. With travel demand concentrated during the holiday season, flight seats are often hard to come by, and there is a significant price difference between peak and off-peak periods. It is recommended that those planning to travel abroad plan ahead as early as possible.