Northern provinces promote tourism potential

 

 

A promotion aimed at the tourist industry, themed ‘three nations, one destination’ took place in the northern province of Quang Ninh on October 29, with numerous travel agencies from Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand taking part. 

The promotion hoped to expand the tourism sector in Quang Ninh province, by promoting culture, popular destinations and quality services around the province. It will also give domestic and overseas travel agencies the opportunity to meet new partners in the field. 

At the event, representatives from the provincial Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism gave an overall picture of Quang Ninh’s potential and its advantages for developing tourism in the province. 

Home to the world’s natural wonder, Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh also has several cultural sites and popular tourist spots such as Tra Co beach, Yen Tu tourist area and Bai Tu Long bay. 

The province is always an attractive destination for visitors from both home and abroad. 

During the first ten months of this year, the province welcomed almost 6 million tourists, up 10 percent over the same period last year. Of this number, foreigners accounted for 2 million, a year on year rise of 7 percent. 

On the same day, over 60 travel companies from Vietnam , Thailand and Cambodia attended a similar promotion in the northern province of Ninh Binh, where they shared their experiences in organising tours and developing new tourism services and products. 

Chhaysivlin, Director of the Cambodian company CSL Travel and Tours , said that the event gave tourism companies the chance to look for investment opportunities and establish partnerships in the sector.

Source: VNA

 

Travel firms launch charity tours diffidently, exploring situation

 

Charity tours have been added into the lists of tourism products offered by travel firms. However, the firms still keep very cautious in developing the new product.

Go traveling and making charity

In fact, charity programs have appeared on the “menus” of many inbound tours designed for high end travelers for a long time. However, charity tours have just become a new tendency among people who love traveling for discoveries.

Vietravel Hanoi has become the first travel firm in Vietnam that runs an advertisement campaign for charity tourism, having designed the tours to northern mountainous provinces, where ethnic minorities live.

With the new tourism products, travelers not only can enjoy the sightseeing, explore the nature and culture of the high land, but also can be closer to local people with charitable activities to be organized at schools, mountainous villages. They would also be able to donate books, mosquito nets, blankets and clothes to local children, to help improve the quality of local people’s meals, or deliver medicines to them free of charge.

Duong Mai Lan, a senior executive of Vietravel Hanoi, said the launching of the tours associated with social purposes has led to the sharp increase in the number of travelers since 2011 and the diversification of the travelers.

Hanoi Redtours and Vietran Tour have also added charity programs into the tours from Hanoi to the northern provinces of Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Cao Bang, Bac Kan and Dien Bien. With the tours, travelers would be able to visit nursery schools, primary schools, donate clothes and join extracurricular activities with ethnic minority children.

Especially, an executive of Hanoi Redtours said the firm sets up low fees for the tours, while it does not strive for profits when developing the tours. However, this would help attract travelers to the destinations remaining unfamiliar to many people.

Meanwhile, Vietran Tour encourages travelers to bring old clothes, books, pens and sweets with themselves, so that they can donate to local children if they want.

Thu Anh from Vietran Tour said that charity tours have been applauded by travelers, especially those who are office workers or middle aged people.

The tours have also attracted young travelers, who love discovery trips and want to learn more about the local traditions and culture. Meanwhile, charity activities would help them do that, while making the trips more interesting.

The hurdles on the way

Though having realized the attractiveness of the new type of tourism, travel firms still have not developed the tours in a large scale.

Lan from Vietravel said travel firms have to take very costly and careful field-works in order to design the tours. It takes a lot of time to discuss with local authorities about the plans, seek information about the people who need help, draw up charity plans, and follow a lot of other procedures. 

In some cases, it takes more time than planned to design a tour, mostly because of the obstacles relating to the administrative works.

In general, big travel firms would find it easier to contact local authorities and organize larger scale charity activities. This explains why small travel firms still keep hesitant about the tours.

Deputy Director of Hanoi Redtours has affirmed that charity tourism would develop strongly in the future thanks to its high sociability and competitive tour fees. Meanwhile, local authorities can cooperate with travel firms to attract more travelers by setting up reasonable policies to attract tourists. 

Source: To quoc/Vietnamnet

 

Cua Van among world’s most beautiful villages

 

Cua Van village in Ha Long Bay has been recognized as one of the most beautiful villages around the world by Journeyetc.com, a travel blog that provide useful guidance on and latest information about the travel market.

In a recent article featuring the world’s 16 exceptionally charming villages, Journeyetc.com said tourists will be amazed at the historical sites and the cobble stone streets of the village.  

It is definitely one of the most scenic around the world, it said, advising visitors to admire the majestic lime stone hills of Ha Long Bay, take photos of the floating fishing village and colorful raft houses, and immerse themselves in the rustic lifestyle of Cua Van. 

Also in the blog’s list are beautiful villages in Switzerland, New Mexico, Italy, Tunisia, Japan, France, Czech Republic, Turkey, England, Hawaii, Georgia, Canada, Indonesia, Bermuda, and Chile.

Source: VOV

 

What is Adventure Travel?

Adventure travel often conjures up images of mountain climbing, whitewater rafting, scuba diving and four wheel driving. While these are certainly activities associated with adventure travel, adventure travel may involve something as sedate as a wine tasting Motorcycling tour in Ho Chi Minh trail, Viet nam. Adventure travel is simply to go above and beyond one’s normal known area, seeking out experiences which are unfamiliar. The travel destination may be as close as a few kilometers from your home, or it can be thousands of kilometers away in an exotic location in Africa or Asia .

 Maybe it has to do with the stressful and fast-paced lives we are leading, that adventure travel has become one of the fasting growing segments of the travel industry. More and more travelers are abandoning the usual beach resorts, and are actively seeking new experiences in their travels. These trips often bring significant personal discovery, development of new skills and knowledge and cross-cultural experiences.

Adventure travel is not for everyone. It is for an individual with the thirst for new experience, one who dares to forsake the well-trodden path. Health and age may restrict the traveler to less-strenuous activities, but that does not stop the traveler from other forms of adventure travel.

It is undeniable that some adventure travel activities carry additional risk. Trekking across the desert is definitely more dangerous than planting your self under an umbrella at the beach. As in most travel situations, having adequate planning and practicing common sense will go a long way in minimizing risk.

An adventure travel need not be expensive. In most cases, you would not be staying in five star hotels, eating in fancy restaurants and taking limousine rides. Instead, you would probably be staying in guesthouses, eating at local food stalls and taking public transport. These usually more than help to hold the line on the total cost.

If you need more reasons to start your adventure travel, here are some motivating quotations I have collected.

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” – Rosalia de Castro

“The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him.” – Daniel J. Boorstin

 “All adventures, especially into new territory, are scary” – Sally Ride

“It is in the compelling zest of high adventure and of victory, and in creative action, that man finds his supreme joys.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
Now, are you willing to join in adventure tour?

Cua Van among world’s most beautiful villages

Cua Van village in Ha Long Bay has been recognised as one of the most beautiful villages around the world by Journeyetc.com, a travel blog that provide useful guidance on and latest information about the travel market.

In a recent article featuring the world’s 16 exceptionally charming villages, Journeyetc.com said tourists will be amazed at the historical sites and the cobble stone streets of the village.

It is definitely one of the most scenic around the world, it said, advising visitors to admire the majestic lime stone hills of Ha Long Bay, take photos of the floating fishing village and colorful raft houses, and immerse themselves in the rustic lifestyle of Cua Van.

Also in the blog’s list are beautiful villages in Switzerland, New Mexico, Italy, Tunisia, Japan, France, Czech Republic, Turkey, England, Hawaii, Georgia, Canada, Indonesia, Bermuda, and Chile.

Vietravel listed among top 16 leading Asian travel agencies

Vietnam’s only representative, Vietravel, will officially receive the Best Travel Agency-Vietnam award and be recognised as one of the top 16 leading Asian travel agencies in Bangkok on October 4.

This is the second consecutive year Vietravel has been honoured within the framework of the TTG Travel Awards 2012 voted by TTG Asia, TTG China, TTG Mice and TTG-BTmice China magazines.

This year, there are 81 TTG Travel Awards in four categories, compared to ten presented for the first time in 1989.

Founded in 1974, TTG Asia is a leading travel magazine with 26 publications a year. The magazine covers travel agencies, tour operators, hotels, national tourism organizations and airlines in the world.

Responsible Travel Club of Viet Nam

The Responsible Travel Club (RTC) of  Viet Nam  is an informal group of tour operators dedicated to building responsible travel and sustainable tourism in all regions in  Viet Nam .

What to experience?

If you want your travel to create real positive impact and value in the destinations, and at the same time experience genuine community based tourism, go with one of them. Each CBT tour tries to enhance the interaction between the local host and guests so they can exchange on their respective culture. For examples the local host and his  family are invited to have meals with guests.

After three years of running an association of responsible tour operators working towards responsible and sustainable  tourism, RTC has become a platform between Tour Operators and the CBT sites they are working with. RTC organizes annually an inspection trip for their members and invite NGOs working in developing CBT in  Viet Nam  such as SNV and WWF, FPSC Spain to join. During the trip, experiences from each party are exchanged, open and free discussions have become a connection for all stakeholders for mutual benefits.

They work closely with local communities and ethnic tribes to optimise their benefits from tourism and, seek financial support from NGOs and donors, such as in Chieng Yen, or Ngoc Son Ngo Luong. Created by Footprint Vietnam Travel,  Activetravel Asia, Sisters Tours, Indochina Travelland, and GSO Travel, their members now include: Vietnam Discovery Travel, Tonkin Travel, and Aurora Travel.

How does it help?

Some members give back 5% of their profit to the communities they visit, which they use to build infrastructures such as schools, library. All decisions are in hand of local people. They are the one who set the prices, welcome the guests.

Activities they conduct are tackling the key elements, which enable to improve tourism impacts. For example, realising that the quality and ethics of many tour guides were alarming, RTC has been working on improving the quality of guides behaviour and knowledge and set up the RTC network of responsible guides. They also organise workshops and training sessions, developed a Code of conducts for travellers as well as for staff on conserving natural and cultural heritage which is applied by its members. Their next step is to identify and grade eco friendly hotels in  Hanoi .

Workshops they organised include:

- Workshop in La vie Vu Linh,  Yen   Bai   Province  for RTC members and member’s staff on “Environmental impacts of tourism on responsible development”.

- Applied “Green Office” model for RTC responsible tour operators with the technical support from Enerteam.

- Clean-up and Trash-bin Giving in Co To Island

Contact Details

NGO Responsible Travel Club of  Vietnam  (RTC)

10A1 Ly  Nam  De,  Hanoi ,  Vietnam

Tel: 39332844

Email: rtcvietnam@gmail.com

Website: www.rtcvietnam.org

HCM City the convergent point of tourism promoters

 

 

A number of programs are hosted in coincidence with the Travel Expo HCMC 2012 (ITE HCMC) from Thursday to Saturday.

Tomorrow India will kick off its tourism promotions in the city with road shows introducing the country’s tourism at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza followed by the Cambodian night on Thursday. In addition, local tourism promotion agencies from Haiphong, Khanh Hoa or Binh Phuoc will also organize scores of other events in HCMC to promote images, events and new products of their localities.

The city has become the focus of tourism marketing activities as the number of agencies engaged in international travel here makes up nearly a half of the total number of tourism companies nationwide. Up to 435 foreign tour operators and 324 domestic ones are present in HCMC, with most of the country’s leading enterprises based in the city.

The number of foreign arrivals to the city accounts for about 58% of the total while the number of domestic visitors of the city also grows by 20-30% annually.

A lot of tourism firms in HCMC have become the major ones to take travelers to other provinces. According to the departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong and Binh Thuan provinces, the majority of visitors to their localities are handled by city-based tourism companies. In Lam Dong alone, the number of visitors handled by travel agencies in HCMC amount to up to 45% of the total.

Source: SGT

 

Russian businesses explore Ninh Thuan’s tourism potential

 

 

A Russian Farmtrip delegation consisting of representatives from 10 travel agencies of Pegas Touristik Company paid a fact-finding visit to Ninh Thuan province from September 7-9.

During their stay in Bau Truc resort and Saigon-Ninh Chu hotel, they called at Vinh Hy bay, the Bau Truc pottery village, My Nghiep weaving village and Poklong Garai tower to enjoy art performances by Cham people. 

The visit was in preparation for the first 300 Russian tourists to go sightseeing there for 3-4 days, starting on September 16. 

In the next few days, the delegation will study tourism products in Binh Thuan and participate in the International Travel Expo (ITE 2012) in Ho Chi Minh City.

Source: VOV

 

Hanoi, Hoi An among best Asian destinations

Hanoi and Hoi An continue to be named among the top ten destinations in Asia this year by Hong Kong-based travel and trade journal, Smart Travel Asia.  According to an online poll conducted by the magazine, regarded as a leading authority on the regional travel industry, Hanoi remains in sixth position, as recorded last year, while Hoi An is rated seventh.
 

 

Hanoi (Vietnam)

 

Hoi An (Vietnam)

 

Bali island in Indonesia ranks first, followed by Phuket in Thailand and Hong Kong.
The Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the title helps the capital city’s tourism sector promote its image and position in the eyes of domestic and international friends.
The magazine’s representative presented the title to the department in Hanoi on Aug. 22.
 Source: Vietnam+
 

Vietnam tour operators launch big summer discounts

Despite rising service prices, Vietnam travel agencies are offering big discounts on tour prices during summer season to woo customers as now is the busiest time of the year for the hospitality industry.
A large number of Ho Chi Minh City-based tour operators offer a discount of at least 5% on domestic tours prices. Those tour operators who join hands with Vietnam Airlines, the prices of summer tour packages are even marked down by up to 30%.

For instance, Fiditourist offers a discount worth VND3 million for domestic tours taking in northern destinations including Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Sapa, Halong Bay and Tuan Chau Island. It also offers a VND1.6 million discount on tours to the central region.
Du Lich Viet Co. has kicked off a discount ranging from 10% to 30% on domestic tours for this summer travel season. The He Tre Co., meanwhile, has announced a discount of 20-28% on seven domestic package tours to Phu Quoc Island, Hue, Halong Bay, Sapa and Dong Van Highlands.
Saigontourist has offered a discount of between VND345,000 and VND1.5 million for two domestic tours taking in Dalat and Phu Quoc Island.
Lien Bang Travelink said it will cut the price of six domestic tours traveling by air by 30% including two tours to the North, two to the Central, one to Dalat and one to Phu Quoc Island. The prices of seat-in-coach tours are set to fall 18%.
Vietravel offers a discount of millions of Vietnam dong on tours taking in northern and central regions. Like other participants joining in the promotion program by Vietnam Airlines, the company prepares to unveil a set of package tours with a 30% discount in the summer period.
Summer travel season contributes up to 60-70% of the full-year revenue so it becomes the most decisive time for the year. This year, things are getting tenser as tour operators are competing harshly against each other in an effort to lure customers.
“The tour price is definitely a key factor for clients to compare and make their choices in this high-season,” said Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Travelink.
However, small-sized travel firms are losing ground to the large ones in this competition.
Source: Saigontimes