Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia & Myanmar join to develop tourism

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Vietnam prepares for “four countries – on destination” program

LookAtVietnam - The fact that four countries including Vietnam, Laos,
Cambodia and Myanmar join forces to develop tourism is believed to bring new big
opportunities to travel firms. However, there are still many things to be done
in order to reap the fruits.

New opportunities

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

The participants at the 7th International Tourism Exhibition (ITE) held in HCM
City several days ago all forecast a new wave of investments in infrastructure,
hotels, resorts and entertainment complexes in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and
Myanmar in the time to come. Therefore, joining forces in the “four countries –
one destination” program will clearly help attract more international investors.

The Lao General Department of Tourism said that the country now has 1028 tourism
sites which are awaiting investments. Laos allows to have 100 percent foreign
ownership ratio in hotels and restaurants, and 30-70 percent foreign ownership
ratios in the travel firms. Tourism is the second foreign currency earner, just
after to mining, in Laos, where the tourism growth rate has been stable in the
last 20 years at 29 percent per annul.

In Myanmar, investors need to have at least 300,000 dollars to set up a legal
entity in the service sector. Foreign investors can team up with domestic
companies to set up joint ventures, while they have to contribute at least 35
percent of capital. Myanmar now has 36 hotel projects with 6560 hotel rooms, of
which 31 projects have been completed.

The international tourism organization has forecast that the tourists in the
world tend to flock to South East Asia and East Asia. In 2010, the region
surpassed America to become the second biggest region in the world, just after
Europe, in terms of the tourists, accounting for 22 percent of the world’s
market share. Meanwhile, the figure is expected to increase to 27 percent by
2020.

Statistics show that ASEAN now attracts 36 percent of the total number of
tourists worldwide, and 38 percent of the total revenue from tourism industry in
the region.

Analysts have also pointed out that joining forces with regional countries to
develop tourism is a wise move. The national flag air carrier Vietnam Airlines
said that four out of every 10 international tourists to Vietnam tend to visit
many different destinations, and three of them choose to visit Laos, Cambodia,
or Myanmar.

Great efforts needed

This is not for the first time regional countries sit together to discuss the
cooperation for tourism development. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia once put forward
the idea of joining forces to attract tourists. A project on the tourism
sustainable development in Mekong sub-region was initiated and funded by ADB,
which aimed to develop infrastructure for tourism and push up the sub-regional
cooperation. However, the initial achievements remain modest

Therefore, Vietnamese travel firms say they need to prepare well for the “four
countries – one nation program). Tran Hung Viet, General Director of
Saigontourist, said that the travel firm has conducted a program on surveying
the trans-Indochina and Myanmar tours, and has released the publications
providing information about the four countries.

Meanwhile, Vietnam Airlines has increased the frequency of the flights on the
air routes to Siem Reap, Phnom Penh in Cambodia, and Vientiane in Laos to 106
flights per week from 59 flights currently.

Vuong Dinh Hai from CFIS Vietnam, a foreign investment research center, said
that it is necessary to make heavier investment in infrastructure in order to
pave the way for tourism development. More and more tourists travel to Vietnam
by sea, while cruises still have to dock at cargo ports, because there still are
no specific ports for receiving tourists.

Meanwhile, there has been no legal document on the development of the ports for
tourism. The overall strategy on seaport development until 2020 also does not
show the investment scale and the details of the tourism ports.

Source: TBKTVN

TRAVEL IN BRIEF 17/12 | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

The HCM City-based
Saigontourist Holding Co is looking for Japanese partners for 12 new hotels and
tourism complexes it plans to build. The company’s general director, Nguyen Huu
Tho, said Saigontourist is looking for both investment and management
co-operation. Saigontourist also plans to buy hotels in Japan to expand its
operations.

The company operates
around 100 hotels, resorts, and restaurants around the country, and reported
revenues of VND8.2 trillion (US$420.6 million) last year. It hopes to boost the
figure to $1 billion by 2015 by which year it also plans to add 4,000 new rooms.

Tour operators
offer discounts

To encourage people to
travel during the Christmas season, travel agencies are offering tours at low
prices, meaning they are unchanged from last year or are just 5-7 per cent up.

Ha Noi Redtours
expects to serve around 1,000 outbound travellers and 500 clients who will
undertake domestic and inbound tours. This represents an increase of 20 per cent
compared to last year.

Vietravel said its
business is likely to be 25 per cent higher than last year.

Sa Pa’s terraced fields. (Photo: Internet)

The most popular
destinations for domestic travellers are Ha Noi, Sa Pa, and Ha Long Bay in the
north and Ba Na, Da Lat, Phu Quoc Island, and Nha Trang in the central and
southern regions. The most popular overseas destinations for Vietnamese
travellers are in Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

Russian carrier
flies to Cam Ranh

A Vladivostok Air
aeroplane carrying 80 passengers landed at Cam Ranh Airport in Khanh Hoa
Province on Wednesday to mark the beginning of the Russian carrier’s service
from Vladivostok and Khabarovsk.

The carrier said it
will operate seven flights each from the two far eastern Russian cities to the
central Vietnamese destination between mid-December and March next year.

To create favourable
conditions for the direct flights from Russia, the Central Airport Company said
it has offered a 50 per cent discount on all ground services at Cam Ranh
Airport.

Five-star resort opens on island

Con Dao Island will
get its first five-star hotel when the Six Senses Resorts & Spas throw open
their doors on Monday. The project was developed with investment from the
Indochina Capital fund.

The hotel’s 50 villas
sit along a stretch of sandy beach, with stunning vistas of the sea and the
curve of the bay, sheltered by green forested hills behind. All building
materials were taken from natural, sustainable sources, using local materials
where possible. Teak wood was reclaimed and includes over a thousand beautifully
carved panels.

The resort’s curved
swimming pool, shaded by mature, wild mahogany trees, sits at the edge of the
beach, which offers various water sports, including coracles, kayaking,
snorkeling and diving in what is recognised as the best coral reef in Viet Nam,
as well as boat trips to neighbouring islands.

Central
provinces unveil island tours

The tourism
authorities of Quang Nam and Quang Ngai unveiled plans to launch a tour
combining islands and inland destinations.

Do Tuan Cuong, deputy
director of the Quang Nam Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the
tour, to be launched next year, will begin in Hoi An to explore Cham Islet
before speed boats for two hours to Quang Ngai’s Re Island.

HCM City luxury
hotel rates fall

Room rates in
three-star to five-star hotels in HCM City fell by 10 per cent this year on
average to US$98 per night due to a sharp increase in supply, according to the
city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The city has 68
international standard hotels with nearly 9,230 rooms. Newcomers include three
four-star hotels, namely Oscar Sai Gon, Liberty Central, and Norfolk which have
a total of 312 rooms, and nine three-star hotels with more than 580 rooms.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

Bangkok Attractions, Vacation Rentals, Vacation Homes, Holiday Rentals

BBangkok has many fabulous attractions which make excellent day-trips. One of the most popular day-trips from Bangkok is the 110 km trip to the picturesque Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, which is in Ratchaburi province.

Bangkok is famous for its floating markets. You will find them at Ton Khem, and there are others at Hia Kui and Khun Phitak.

Organised tours to Damnoen Saduak will probably also include a visit the Rose Garden and the chedi at Nakhon Pathom.

The Rose garden is set in large landscaped tropical gardens but is mostly visited for the 'cultural show' that's put on there - Thai traditional dance, Buddhist ordination ceremony, muay thai (Thai boxing), elephants at work, and takraw (a common sport in Thailand).

Also in the grounds is a luxury riverside resort, thousands of rose bushes and hundreds of exotic birds. Close to Rose Garden are the Thai Human Imagery Museum and the Samphran Elephant Park.

The human imagery museum is a Thai Madame Tussauds with images of famous monks and all the Chakri dynasty kings.

The Elephant park has a variety of elephant and crocodile shows ( featuring these animals wrestling, performing in various ways, including tug-of-war).

Nakhon Pathom, around 60 km west of Bangkok, is a town famous as the reputedly the oldest in Thailand and the place where Buddhist missionaries first entered Thailand from India. It is a typical provincial Thai town with only the gold encrusted Phra Pathom Chedi giving a clue as to its celebrated past.

This is a massive 127m high, making it the word's largest Buddhist

monument, and the most important in all of Thailand. As well as the main chedi, there are numerous bots, Buddha images and other structures nearby. This area is mostly visited either on a day tour from Bangkok, or sometimes on route to Kanchanaburi.

Kanchanaburi is home to the River Kwai and its infamous bridge. The building of the bridge in 1943 was part of a wartime project to link existing Thai and Burmese railway lines to create a direct route from Bangkok, Thailand to Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar) in an effort to support the Japanese occupation of Burma.

Over 100,000 conscripted laborers and 12,000 prisoners of war died during the whole project.

To the northeast of Bangkok in Minburi are both the Suwan Siam Water Park and the Safari World Park. Easy to combine in one day trip, the water park is set in large landscaped gardens and has surf, whirlpools, fountains, waterfalls, large water slides and flumes.

Other family attractions here are children's playgrounds, colorful aviaries, an open zoo and botanical gardens.

With more than 150 acres, Safari World is the largest wildlife park in Southeast Asia. There are almost a hundred different animal species, including giraffes, zebras, elephants, lions and tigers.

The marine section has trained dolphin shows and an aviary section with eagles, macaws and parrots. There are various shows available (including dolphins, birds, seals and monkeys).

This is best visited on a tour, as the wildlife section is for vehicles only. Though the park also has coaches you can go through on, most taxi drivers can be persuaded to take you through it if pay them a little more for it. The other sections can be visited on foot.

A nephew of mine lives and works in Paris. He, his wife and his children... | Travel | Wichita Eagle

ED NOTE: I've been intuned to this life style of travel for my family, friends, partner since I was 25. Now 64, I can truly say "You only live once" I've adopted this life style and plan to explore the World, until my legs no longer carry me. Join me???
nephew of mine lives and works in Paris. He, his wife and his children take frequent vacations each year of a duration that would be regarded as scandalous in the United States. They sign up for cheap charter flights to islands in the Mediterranean, check in to modest, all-inclusive, beachside hotels lacking TVs and telephones, and spend several weeks together as a family. They do this not only in the summer (the entire month of August), but often during school vacation periods in the winter, jetting to such places as Luxor in upper Egypt, or Morocco, or Bulgaria. The children, who attend public schools, are frequently taken by their public schools on free-of-charge, overnight excursions to Switzerland or the French Alps.
Despite all this leisure, my nephew and his wife are regarded as highly productive employees of the firms for which they work, and their children excel in school. At the ages of 10 and 14, they study the kind of texts that U.S. college students encounter in their junior and senior years. The children have had exposure to more foreign countries and cultures than most Americans enjoy in their entire lives. They are multilingual. The 14-year-old is presently reading Rousseau's essay "On the Origins of Inequality."
According to a study published in Gadling.com (yes, I occasionally --though rarely -- sneak a look), the French enjoy an average of 35 days a year of paid vacation. They sleep an average of nine hours a night, an hour longer than us, and also spend two hours a day on eating -- twice the time Americans spend eating.
In our public policies toward travel and vacations, we really need to heed the lesson that these highly sophisticated people are demonstrating for us. Rather than averting our eyes, we need to think hard about the lifestyles that other people have adopted. And the first practical step we need to take is agitation in Congress for a federal law mandating a minimum of three weeks of yearly paid vacation for every American worker.

A nephew of mine lives and works in Paris. He, his wife and his children... Travel Wichita Eagle

Discovering Vietnam in two weeks or more

Having a diverse natural environment, age-long traditions and a rich culture and long history, Vietnam could satisfy tourists for a wonderful vacation. To discover the country more thoroughly, tourists could book a two-to-three-week trans-Vietnam tour to well-known destinations recently offered by Ben Thanh Tourist.
Tourists cruise at Halong Bay.The first stop on the tour is the Mekong Delta, a land of endless green rice fields, tropical orchards and floating markets such as Cai Rang and Phong Dien in Can Tho City.
Sapa, the misty town in the northern province of Lao Cai, is a must-see destination listed in every itinerary. One reason is the famous Sapa Love Market and another is the trek to Ham Rong Mountain for a panoramic view of Sapa Town. Hikers will be dazzled by the poetic and splendid scenery of red-tiled roofs looming in the mist.
Despite its growing popularity Sapa has changed very little and much can be earned about the life and culture of ethnic groups from the locals.
Next stop is the UNESCO world heritage Ha Long Bay, in the northern province of Quang Ninh. Halong Bay resembles a geographic work of art with more than 1,500 spectacular islands and islets including the Sail, the Pair of Roosters and the Incense Burner, as well as grottoes and caves such as Thien Cung (Heaven Palace Grotto), Dau Go (Wooden Stake Grotto), Sung Sot (Surprise Grotto), and Tam Cung (Three Palace Grotto). When exploring the bay and observing the stalactites of many shapes and colors it is easy to get lost in the legendary world of the stone islands.
Another world heritage awaits the travelers: Hoi An Ancient Town in the central province of Quang Nam. The ancient town is famous for pagodas, wooden houses and architectural wonders such as the Japanese Bridge, Tan Ky House, Tu Duc King Temple and Thien Mu Pagoda, all standing as a testimony to the elegant and meticulous architecture and design of the past.
The grandiose complex of Bich Dong Pagoda and Tam Coc Grotto in Ninh Binh Province will excite even the most seasoned travelers with the pristine beauty of stalactites and stalagmites sparkling like gemstones in the caves and the serenity of the ancient pagoda.
The tour also includes a city tour in HCMC and Hanoi with visits to famous cultural and historical sites and cruises to coastal cities such as Nha Trang and Danang, as well as Mai Chau Valley, a beautiful green valley with stilt houses of ethnic groups in Hoa Binh Province.

Phan Thiet joins time-share network

VietNamNet Bridge - Rang Dong Group, which owns the Sea Links Gold&Country Club in Phan Thiet, central coast Binh Thuan Province on Wednesday joined the RCI network, the global leader in time-share vacation exchange.

"Gaining access to the four million leisure-bound members will be valuable for our resort, and I believe our professional service, as well as the stunning landscapes in Phan Thiet will provide an unforgettable experience for guests," Nguyen Van Thieu, Rang Dong vice chairman, said.

"This relation is historic for RCI as the Club is our first affiliate in Viet Nam, and we’re thrilled to welcome this beautiful resort to the collection of top vacation destinations we offer to our members," Geoff Ballotti, president of Group RCI, said.

The tie-up will enable the Club’s time-share owners to spend their holidays at other RCI destinations.

On the same day, Rang Dong Group also concluded a contract with the Sai Gon Phuong Nam Property Corp, or Sapro, for the latter to manage and market its time-share programme.

The programme offers a week’s lease of a villa every year for 20 years at Sea Links, where more than 300 villas are set to be finished by year-end. It costs around US$15,000.

Sea Links also has an 18-hole golf court already in operation, tennis courts and a five-star hotel.

VietNamNet/VNS

VietNamNet - Phan Thiet joins time-share network

Save Money in an Exotic Destination: Top Three Tips for Cheaper Egypt Holidays

Egypt holidays are as popular as ever. Egypt is a divers' heaven, legendary snorkelling country packed with wonderful sea life. Water sports score high and the country's thriving purpose-built resorts are renowned for their excellent facilities. Not to mention the pyramids, Cairo and more camels than you can shake a stick at.

London, England (PRWEB) March 1, 2009 -- But in today's wobbly economy can you afford a long haul holiday in an exotic place, complete with the risk of unforeseen expenses and the need for lashings of spending money? The short answer is 'yes'! An exotic destination needn't be an expensive one. Use a combination of resourcefulness, patience and lateral thinking and you can save a small fortune.

Holiday price comparison website http://www.beatthebrochure.com reveal their top three tips for saving money on Egypt holidays.

Top tip number one: Shop around. Let the internet find you the best value holiday clothes, sun lotions, hats… squeeze the best value out of every single thing you take with you. It all adds up.

Most importantly of all, shop around for the cheapest Egypt holidays online. While your local travel agent is probably wonderful, they won't have access to the entire package holiday market. And buying online invariably nets you excellent discounts on brochure prices.

"We use unique data search and retrieval software to track down the lowest cost holidays from a raft of major suppliers including Thomson, First Choice and Thomas Cook." Says a BeatTheBrochure.com spokesman. "If you find cheaper Egypt holidays in any brochure, anywhere, at any time, we want to know about it!"

Top tip number two: DIY. Instead of eating out, buy fresh local foods and enjoy picnics. Don't spend a fortune on entertainment, just chill out. Buy local wines and lounge around watching the world go by. Rediscover what real relaxation's all about. Walk a lot and take in the scenery. Read books. Sit in the warm sea. Think. Keep life simple, pared down to the bone. Holidays needn't be active. And chilling will save you a load of cash!

Top tip number three: Experience life without shopping, our national pastime. You might be surprised how much pointless shopping you do without even consciously realising it, buying stuff just for the sake of it. Give shopping a rest on holiday. Buy the stuff you really need but nothing else. Lie on the beach and enjoy your Egypt holidays to the full without so much as sniffing the inside of a shop.

How much do you think you can save on your http://www.beatthebrochure.com Egypt holidays by shunning shopping, making your own entertainment and doing a spot of very effective online research? BeatTheBrochure recommends that you suck it and see!

Details for editors:

Russianists continue traveling to Vietnam: official

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