Vietnam must improve tourism skills

HO CHI MINH CITY, 30 December 2016: Vietnam tourism authorities say the country’s tourism industry needs to urgently improve training and educational facilities for the hospitality and travel sectors.

Local media quoted Vietnam Tourism Association vice chairman, Vu The Binh, saying the country has enough tourism schools, but the training quality is low, and schools are not turning out well-trained workers.

“The demand for tourism and hospitality workers will rise 20% in the next five years… more enterprises have entered the tourism market and hundreds of new hotels will open… tourism schools should be restructured so that they can provide the market with better trained people.” Read more

Cambodia plans tourism schools

PHNOM PENH, 16 December 2016: Two new vocational tourism training facilities are in the planning stage to improve human resources and competitiveness in Cambodia’s tourism industry.

Phnom Penh Post quoted Ministry of Tourism deputy general director, Try Chhiv, saying the government will build the first school in Phnom Penh with a capacity of 1,000 students, while the second will be built in Sihanoukville for 300 students.

“We are now preparing plans and we expect the schools to be ready by the end of 2018, which means the first students could enroll at the beginning of 2019.” Read more

Haze: Malaysia forced to close schools

KUALA LUMPUR, 5 October 2015: Malaysian authorities on Sunday ordered most of the country’s schools shut for two days, Monday and Tuesday, because of possible health risks posed by the thick haze from Indonesian forest fires.

The education ministry said all schools, except a handful in outlying areas, must close their doors on Monday and Tuesday.

“The haze that is happening is beyond our control,” said Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid.

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Cambodia to build tourism schools

PHNOM PENH, 25 September 2015: Cambodia Ministry of Tourism will work with Agence Française de Développement to establish two tourism schools in Phnom Penh and Preah Sihanouk next year.

Khmer Times quoted Tourism Minister, Thong Khon, saying construction of the two training schools could start next year.

The government would need to borrow USD12 million for the construction and set-up, the report claimed.

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Youth Soccer in Thailand

BANGKOK, 18 March 2015: Soccer. Also known as football to many Europeans, although to an American of course this refers to an entirely different ball game. Soccer is a universal sport, beloved of millions around the globe. Whether as a spectator or a player, millions of fans enjoy the thrill and challenge of soccer. And nowhere in Asia is the love of soccer more evident than in Thailand, perhaps the most football crazy nation in the region.

When a Thai asks you where you are from, these days the next question will often be something along the lines of “which football team do you support?”, often appended with the name of the football club that the questioner supports (odds are it will be Manchester United or Chelsea, two teams that have captured the imagination of perhaps millions of Thai soccer fans).

Most Thai cities and plenty of smaller towns boast their own football clubs and there are several professional and many amateur leagues vying for honours on countless pitches and stadiums the length and breadth of the country every week.

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