Thua Thien-Hue targets 3 million tourist arrivals in 2014

Tourism industry of the central province of Thua Thien- Hue has just introduced a large-scale tourism promotion with discounts of up to 50% for many services in an effort to meet its target of 3 million visitors in 2014.

Accordingly, the packages for 2014 and the following years will be applied to all tourist spheres, including travel, restaurant and hotel services, transportation, shopping and entertainment.

The locality will focus on increasing the quality of tours, and speeding up activities to promote the image of Vietnam’s former imperial capital to both domestic and foreign markets.

It will invite travel agencies from Japan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand to organise famtrips to learn about Hue, while actively holding road shows in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, central localities and the southwestern region to attract more visitors.

The Hue relics conservation centre will also launch a “Golden Tourism Month” from September 2-30 with discounts to be offered to those visiting the Hue relic site.

Hue, once the feudal and imperial capital of Vietnam under the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945), the last Vietnamese dynasty, is now a quiet city in central Vietnam with a wealth of imperial buildings, pagodas and tombs. The city has rich traditions, culture and structures of the long-gone Nguyen dynasty and region’s unique food and beer.

Chinese visitors return to Da Nang

The number of Chinese tourists visiting the central city and the central region this month is expected to reach 15,000 this month.

Five of 14 direct chartered flights connecting the city to Chinese destinations have returned to operation.

Vice director of the city's culture, sports and tourism department, Tran Chi Cuong told Viet Nam News yesterday the airlines have resumed travel from Da Nang to Beijing, Kunming, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Xianyang.

"The five routes, which were temporarily suspended during rioting in May, re-opened at the same time as Vietnam Airlines launched direct flights from the Da Nang to Narita, Japan, and Kuala Lumpur as well as Busan (South Korea)," Cuong said.

He revealed that Chinese tourism had dropped by about four thousand last month.

The central city, which promoted other venues to make up numbers, hosted 1.3 million tourists, of whom 407,000 were foreigners, in the first half this year. The tourism industry earned VND3.5 trillion (US$167 million), up 24 per cent over the same period last year.

Promotional tours increases

Travel agencies arrived nearly 13,000 visitors in July, doubling the figure of the same period last year.

Tourist companies participating in domestic tourism promotion program in Ho Chi Minh City set up promotional packages & tours with flights cut by 30-40 percent.

Under the program, the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines; low-cost carriers VietJet Air and Jetstar Pacific have offered cheap tickets for flights to Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon, Da Nang, Hue, Hanoi and Hai Phong.

The Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association has launched the tourism promotion programm signed with carriers, Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific and VietJet Air to stimulate domestic tourism.

The promotional event will run until March, 2015.

Quang Binh's tourism destinations lure visitors

The Vietnam Records Organization has just announced the four most attractive tourism destinations in Quang Binh Province.

Accordingly, Nhat Le Beach is among the 10 most beautiful beaches. Phong Nha Cave is listed in the top 5 Vietnamese caves with mysterious beauty. Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is chosen as one of the 20 most popular destinations in the country. Ngang Pass, which links Quang Binh and Ha Tinh provinces, is recognised as one of the top 5 most famous passes in Vietnam.

Quang Binh Province’s tourism industry has strongly developed in recent years. It is considered as a key economic sector in the province.

Quang Binh received more than 2.4 million visitors in the first seven months of this year, doubling the figure of the same period last year.

The New York Times named Quang Binh as one of the most attractive destinations in Asia and eighth out of the world’s 52 top must-go sites for 2014.

The American Business Insider Magazine has recognized Son Doong cave system in the province as one of the world’s 12 most impressive.

The National Geographic Magazine, Russian version, said the tour to Son Doong is a top adventurous tour for 2014.

The world's largest cave has been also listed as one of famous places in the world, which will become “hotspots” for visitors over the next two decades by The Huffington Post. The American online news aggregator and blog described Son Doong cave showed that it is an interesting destination for a 7-day tour with discovery of underground rivers, caves and camping activities.

Tan Trao historical site marks 400,000th visitor

The Tan Trao historical site, a Special National Relic in the northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang, has received 400,000 visitors so far this year.

The site has reported an average of 4,000 visitors on peak days, including the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the August Revolution's victory (August 19).

It expects to welcome 650,000 arrivals this year.

Tan Trao is situated in Son Duong District, 41km from the centre of Tuyen Quang Town toward the north-west, about 200km from Ha Noi. It was once the home of Uncle Ho along with the central agencies in the pre-insurrection period and in the war against the French. It is the site of many historic events leading up to the August Revolution and victory.

Bac Giang to host sixth festival for ethnic minorities

Northern Bac Giang Province will host its sixth festival of culture, sports and tourism for ethnic minorities in October, according to the provincial People's Committee.

The event, held every two years, aims to honour the local people's values and cultural identity and provides an opportunity for ethnic minority groups to strengthen solidarity and exchange experiences in preserving and promoting their culture, sports and tourism potential.

It will feature a conference on tourism, and activities including a series of art performances showcasing traditional customs, costumes, food, folk games and sports.

Viet Nam makes HuffPo list of cheapest tourist destinations

Huffington Post, an American online news aggregator and blog, has named Viet Nam as one of the countries that can be visited for less than US$50 a day.

"Despite a recent spike in popularity, Viet Nam remains an affordable destination. Thanks in part to the favourable exchange rate for the dollar, travelers can easily get by on US$20 a day."

Other top five low-cost destinations include Thailand, Cambodia, India and Nepal.

"The numbers and information used to make the list are average budgets based on statistics. The budget mentioned in the story might not be a good fit for you," wrote the article in the Huffington Post.

Hue offers heritage site discounts to lure visitors

Visitors to Hue will be able to enjoy a month of promotions to mark National Day on September 2.

During the month, groups of 10 or more visitors will get a 20 per cent discount on tickets to heritage sites in the former royal capital city. Visitors will also be allowed to use tickets for the Imperial Palace, Khai Dinh or Minh Mang mausoleums to enter other sites.

Cost for shows of Hue royal court music (nha nhac) performed in the Duyet Thi Duong royal theatre inside the palace will also be cut by 50 per cent.

The discounts are among incentives Hue has applied to try and reach the target of three million visitors. In the last seven months, the city welcomed 1.8 million visits.

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