HCMC will tap emerging markets

HO CHI MINH CITY, 3 February 2012: City officials say they are confident tourist arrivals can reach 3.8 million this year.

Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Tourism Promotion Division deputy head, Nguyen Bao Anh, said promotions will focus on South Korea, the United Kingdom, India and Ukraine.

“Tourist arrivals from those four countries remained small, last year, but the growth rate was promising.”

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Down south exploring Vietnam’s delta

HO Chi Minh City attractions can be covered easily in two days , but as the city turns into a gateway there are more options to extend the stay to other destinations.

A popular one-night escape heads to the Mekong River delta covering visits to orchards on Mekong islands in My Tho and a wholesale floating market in Can Tho.

The Mekong River delta covers vast stretches of marshy land forming a triangle extending from My Tho in the east to Chau Doc and Ha Tien in the northwest, down to Ca Mau and the South China Sea at the southernmost tip of Vietnam including Phu Quoc Island.

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Vietnam:Training a top priority

HANOI, 19 January 2012: Vietnam Tourism Association says staff training is a long- term task needed to ensure the country can step up its competitiveness in the region.

The association deputy chairman, Nguyen Huu Tho, said new training programmes will be introduced through to 2016 to achieve objectives to move the country up the scale to become a leader in ASEAN.

“Over the next five years, the association plans to ask relevant authorities to establish a Tourism Knowledge Fostering School to train staff and managers,” he said. Read more

Hanoi makes tourism gains

HANOI, 11 January 2012: The Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism estimates the capital city attracted 1.9 million international visitors in 2011 an increase of 11% over 2010.

The four strongest markets were China supplying 309,000 visits (+19%); Japan 115,000 (+13%); Australia 109,000 visits (+28%); and South Korea 53,000 visits (+22%).

Hanoi benefited in 2010 from new international air services that linked the capital to major tourist source markets with nonstop flights. There were increases in low-cost airline services within Asia that also broadened the city’s tourism base.

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Timeless Vietnam starts

HANOI, 5 January 2012: Vietnam has launched a new tourism slogan, Vietnam – Timeless Charm, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

The new tourism slogan was introduced by VNAT, 27 December, as the official branding for 2012 to 2015, replacing the old slogan “Vietnam – Hidden Charm”.

Vietnam – Timeless Charm comes with the logo of five colourful lotus petals, which VNAT says symbolise the beauty of tourist products and Vietnamese people. Read more

HCMH sets 2012 targets

HO CHI MINH CITY, 28 December 2011: Vietnam’s commercial capital, Ho Chi Minh City, hopes to welcome 3.8 million international visits next year an estimated increase of 8% on on this year’s performance.

The Municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the city will focus on major services and products such as tourism resorts and the MICE industry, shopping and culinary tourism.

Next year, city officials say tourism promotions will focus on Europe particularly the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Russia. Read more

AeroSvit kicks off HCMC Services

Ho Chi Minh City, 27 December 2011: AeroSvit Airlines started its twice weekly service between Kiev and Ho Chi Minh City last week. It also intends to add a Hanoi flight once the HCMC service is profitable.

Flights depart Kiev late night on Wednesday and Saturday and land in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday and Sunday afternoon. The return flights depart during the early hours of Friday and Monday.

AeroSvit said in a press release the carrier would consider scheduled nonstop flights to Hanoi if there was enough demand in the Ukrainian capital. But it was described as a long-term plan that would largely depend on the success of the HCMC service over the next two years. Read more

Vietnam bullish on tourism future

HANOI, 23 December 2011: Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports estimates the tourism industry will  need US$42.5 billion in investments over the next 10 years to build competitiveness and quality.

The observations were made during a recent tourism development strategy meeting, held in Hanoi, 14 December, that studied tourism needs up to 2030.

Deputy prime minister, Nguyen Thien Nhan, who supervises the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports, said Vietnam needed to develop a much stronger tourism industry if it was to become a key economic driver in the country. Read more

Sands expands to Vietnam

HO CHI MINH CITY, 20 December 2011: Las Vegas Sands Corporation plans to build an US$2 billion tourism complex in Vietnam’s commercial capital Ho Chi Minh City.

Las Vegas Sands’ chief executive officer, Sheldon Adelson, revealed his plans at a meeting with Ho Chi Minh City’s Party Committee secretary, Le Thanh Hai, earlier this month.

The project will be on a similar scale to Marina Bay Sands resort also owned byLas Vegas Sands Corporation in Singapore. It will give Vietnam its first mega casino, hotels, restaurants, exhibition hall, shopping centre, spa, threatres and even so-called museums.

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South Korea taps Vietnam MICE

HANOI, 15 December 2011: South Korea has started to tap the high potential of MICE tourism from Vietnam.

South Korea Tourism Association held a road show, earlier this month, to introduce MICE tourism to Vietnamese firms with new products and services.

According to Korean National Tourism Administration, Vietnam has a high economic growth rate and political stability, when compared with other countries in Southeast Asia. Read more

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