Quang Nam to open new tourism site

Quang Nam Province will debut a community-based tourism site in Dien Ban District's Triem Tay Commune this July.

The district's culture and information centre told Viet Nam News that the site is included in the new 2015-20 tourism development project that will receive assistance and support from UNESCO and the International Labour Organisation.

The rural commune will offer tourists a chance to see and participate in farming and fishing production activities as well as learn about local cuisine and lifestyles while lodging with locals in organised home-stays.

The central province is home to two UNESCO-recognised world heritage sites – Hoi An ancient town and My Son Sanctuary – and the world biosphere reserve of the Cham Islands.

Quang Nam drew 3.7 million tourists last year, of which 1.7 million were foreign visitors.

Vietnamese hotels among world’s top 25 best hotels for service

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site, has named five Vietnamese hotels among top 25 best hotels for service in the world.

They include Hanoi Oriental Central Hotel (top 6), Hanoi Charming 2 Hotel (top 10), Hanoi Serene Hotel (top 11), Hanoi Meracus Hotel 2 (top 21), and Essence Hanoi Hotel & Spa (top 24).

In addition, the travel site also announced top 25 hotels which have best services in Vietnam. They concentrated in Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hanoi, Hue, Danang,  Phan Thiet, Can Tho, and Ha Long.

Selection criteria include sleep quality, location, room, supplementary service, and sanitation.

Marketing workshop promotes Vietnam’s tourism

A tourism marketing workshop for the French Market was held in Paris on January 23 with the participation of French businesses well above expectations.

The participants were surprised by the diversity and the attractiveness of Vietnam.

Speaking at the workshop, Vietnam Ambassador Nguyen Ngoc Son affirmed that France is one of Vietnam’s leading European partners in the tourism sector as Vietnam welcomes 200,000 French visitors each year.

The ambassador said that despite difficulties, Vietnam welcomed 7.87 million international visitors last year grossing revenue of VND230,000 billion,  up 15% on-year .

The ambassador said the results were attributed to the fact that Vietnam Airlines has opened a direct air routes from Hanoi and HCM City to Paris. In addition, the opening of Vietnamese Culture Centre in France in 2008 – Vietnam’s first centre in Europe and the second one in the world – was also a key factor.

Nguyen Thanh Vuong, Vietnamese Culture Centre Director, in turn affirmed the programme is of great significance as it has attracted French leading travel operators and hotels.

The workshop also introduced Vietnam’s tangible and non-tangible cultural heritages recognized by UNESCO and hoping it would help welcome an influx of visitors from France and Europe, and attract investors to Vietnam in the time ahead.

Indian tourism explores central Vietnam

Representatives of travel agents from Hyderabad, India will begin a series of Familiarisation trips (FAM) to Hoi An, My Son and Da Nang, the

first of which will take place from January 30 to February 2.

It's the first FAM trip from India's tourism sector this year and will survey world heritage sites in the central region, golf courses and sport activities.

The trips, organised by Singapore's SilkAir and Central Coast Vietnam Destination Marketing Organisation, aim to boost tourism connections between Hyderabad and Vietnam‘s central region.

SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, has opened direct flights from Da Nang to new destinations in Solo, Jogyakarta, Semarang, Makasar and Bandung of Indonesia and daily flights to Singapore via Siem Reap.

The Singapore-based airline also has an air route that operates from Da Nang to Hyderabad via Singapore, hence increasing their interest in pushing FAM trips this year.-

Ninh Binh seeks ways to promote tourism

Travel agencies across the countries have made numerous recommendations to the northern province of Ninh Binh on how to make the most of

the province’s rich tourism potential, including the Trang An complex which is a UNESCO-recognised world heritage site.

At a conference held on January 24 on the occasion of Trang An receiving UNESCO certificate, participants shared their opinions on how to

improve the management at tourist destinations and increase the coordination between local authorities and tourism service providers in order to enhance tour and service quality.

Ngo Van Huy from Saigontourist urged the provincial authorities to invest more in training tourism staff and take prompt measures to stop the vendors from nagging visitors.

Meanwhile, Dang Thuy Lan from Vietnam Tourism suggested Ninh Binh promotes its handicraft products as souvenirs for visitors.

Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Thanh Phong said the department plans to set up a hotline to promptly deal with any problems reported by tourists.

He said the province will organize more training courses for not only workers in the tourism sector but also locals in tourism destinations.

Ninh Binh boasts many tourist attractions, with the Trang An complex alone welcoming 4 million visitors last year.

Vietnam Air reschedules Pleiku flights during Tet

Vietnam Airlines will adjust schedules for its Pleiku - Hanoi/ HCMC services from January 28 to March 15, which is the busiest period for air travel due to the Lunar New Year holiday (Tet).

The national flag carrier will operate daily flights to and from Pleiku Airport until 4:30 p.m. every day this month, and until 5 p.m. in February and March to facilitate the upgrade of the runway, taxiways and parking area at the airport in Gia Lai Province.

The runway of Pleiku Airport is being expanded to 2,400 meters in length and 45 meters in width while the parking area is being widened for Airbus A320/321 airplanes.

The terminal will be also renovated to serve 600 passengers in a peak hour, or four times higher than the current handling capacity.

Vietnam Airlines is the only operator of flights connecting Pleiku Airport with Hanoi, Danang and HCMC. The airport is located three kilometers northwest of Pleiku City in the Central Highlands province.

Earlier, the Government approved a master development plan for Pleiku Airport to have a 3,000-meter-long, 45-meter-wide runway for Airbus A321 or aircraft of the same capacity to land and take off, and meet the 4C standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) after 2020.

Vietnamese heritage and tourism under spotlight in France

A programme introducing Vietnamese cultural heritage and tourism development was held in Paris, France, on January 23, attracting the participation of dozens of French travel agencies.

The event was held by Vietnam Cultural Centre in France as part of a Vietnam tourism promotion campaign in Europe in the period from 2015 to 2017.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Nguyen Ngoc Son underscored the role of tourism in Vietnam’s economic development, adding that France is the top European market of Vietnam’s hospitality sector with 200,000 tourists travelling to Vietnam every year.

The results could be attributed to direct air routes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city to Paris and the operation of the Vietnam Cultural Centre in France since 2008 which helps to tighten cultural and tourism cooperation between two countries, Son said.

He added that despite numerous challenges, Vietnam welcomed 7.87 million foreign vacationers and gained 230 trillion VND (10.9 billion USD) in tourism revenue in 2014, a 15 percent increase from 2013.

Travel agencies of France and Vietnam took the occasion to discuss their needs and ways to link their services, with a view to offering more tours and better services in the time ahead.