More Russians keep going holiday in Vietnam in a time when many travelers around the world have shelved their plans for vacations in this country to cope with the impact of the global economic downturn, according to the Russian consul general in HCMC.
There was a large number of Russian tourists choosing Vietnam as their favorite destination, Nikolay D. Ubushiev told a meeting with reporters on Tuesday when he announced new developments in the relations between Russia and Vietnam.
Ubushiev estimated 80,000-90,000 Russians traveled to Vietnam last year, and said that there had not any sign of decline in the number of Russian visitors to Vietnam, though figures showed a fall in the number of travelers from Japan and other markets.
“Russian holidaygoers take great pleasure in traveling in Vietnam,” Ubushiev said, pointing out the resort kingdom of Mui Ne and the beauty contest city of Nha Trang in central Vietnam as among popular sites attractive to Russians.
Ubushiev disclosed a crew of a Moscow television station would come to make a film of Vietnam, especially HCMC this month for airing in Russia.
“Vietnam is popular in Russia,” Ubushiev said and attributed this to the fact that more Vietnamese travel officials and agencies had managed to attend theme exhibitions in Russia to promote the country and introduce their products to potential customers.
But, Vietnam needed to have more tour guides with better Russian competence if the country wanted to attract more Russian travelers. He suggested resorts and hotels should design programs appropriate for Russians’ tastes of entertainment in the evening and good foods.
The local tourism industry is looking to 100,000 Russian tourists this year given the visa waiver for Russian visitors holding ordinary passports to stay up to 15 days from January 1 this year in accordance with the decision by the Prime Minister.
Ubushiev hailed the visa waiver for Russians, saying such a move would create favorable conditions for not only Russian tourists but also business people who want to explore Vietnam within the period.
Ubushiev said the Russia-Vietnam tourism ties had been on the way to further development, which was marked by the establishment of the Lanta-An Travel, a 50-50 joint venture between Vietnam’s Anh Duong Co., Ltd. and Russian tour operator Lanta-Tur Voyage.
He revealed a Russian investor was surveying the opportunity to cooperate with the Vietnamese side to develop a resort on Con Dao Island off the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
Russia wanted to enhance economic and trade relations with Vietnam, Ubushiev said. He cited the two countries were cooperating over plans to open trade centers in major cities including Moscow, Hanoi and HCMC.
The Russian consul general said the project to open a Hanoi house in Moscow was progressing quicker than scheduled while the opening of a HCMC facility in the Russian capital had been slowed.
As for the Moscow house planned in HCMC’s District 7, Ubushiev clarified Russia wanted a land plot near downtown area of this city and convenient for trade. Construction would move very fast if an appropriate location was decided, he said.
VietNamNet/SGT
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