When it comes to homestay tourism in Vietnam, one may think of the northwestern region. However, in the central province of Thanh Hoa, more attention has been paid to developing this service.
Don village in the mountainous district of Ba Thuoc in Thanh Hoa province has now become one of the emerging travel destinations with its homestay service for visitors who wish to explore the local life.
Besides a pure atmosphere, visitors can explore unique cultural characteristics of local ethnic people. The tourism service is rated ‘good’ by visitors. However, since it is a new type of tourism service in the locality, infrastructure serving the service remains limited.
Ba Thuoc district has recently mapped out a specific plan to develop homestay service in Don village and some other villages, considering tourism to be its spearhead sector in the coming time.
Along with investment in infrastructure, the protection of the rural landscape and the environment is regarded as key to developing homestay tourism in the locality.
A Space for Community Culture was launched at the central city’s East Sea Park yesterday, attracting the participation of 80 pavilions including souvenirs, food courts and folk games.
The city’s tourism department said the space will last through to the end of this month in order to serve booming tourism in Sơn Trà Peninsula.
As scheduled, the space will open from 9am till 10pm each day from May 19 to May 31st.
Tourists can sample traditional cuisine and purchase made-in-Đà Nẵng gifts including stone sculptures, organic cosmetics, bamboo crafts, and carved shells.
According to the department, a bartending competition will take place with the participation of competitors from Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Da Nang.
Live music performances will be on every night, while food courts will serve locals and tourists.
Mỹ Khê beach, one of the world’s most beautiful beaches, also boasts boat rides, as well as jet-ski and kayak rentals.
The Vietnam Tourism Association has proposed to continue visa exemptions for Western European tourists to boost tourism.
According to the Vietnam Tourism Association, in order to implement the government's resolution to turn tourism into Vietnam's key sector, visa exemptions should be continued for visitors from major tourist markets.
The association said they had received requests from tourism firms and local tourism associations to continue visa exemptions for tourists from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belarus and the UK for five years.
They also suggested exempting visas for visitors from India, Australia, Canada, and countries in Eastern Europe including Poland, Czech, Bulgaria and Hungary, as well as former Soviet countries.
Vu The Binh, the association's vice chairman, said it was competitive as neighbouring countries all have open visa policies.
"Expanding visa exemptions is a common trend.
Thailand exempts visa for tourists from 61 countries, Malaysia exempts visa for 155 countries and in Singapore, it's 158. Meanwhile, we have only exempted visa for 22 countries," he said.
Tourism firms said since the visa exemption programme only lasted for one year, they didn't dare spend too much on promotion.
Normally, their short-term plans last from three to five years and over five years for long-term plans. The one-year visa exemption has only attracted independent tourists as firms await a more stable policy.
Tran Thi Viet Huong from Vietravel said most European tourists plan their vacations six months to a year in advance while the programme would end this June. This will affect their decision-making about holidays next year.
Le Tuan Anh, Deputy Director of the International Co-operation Department of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said they had suggested extended the programme to five years and raise the standard length of stay for tourist visas from 15 to 30 days during meetings with other agencies.
"Resolution 8 on developing tourism states that pilot programmes can be carried out for urgent matters that don't have their own regulations yet. This suits the tourism sector which includes many other sectors. Thanks to it that the e-visa programme was piloted quickly in February," Anh said.
The number of visitors from Europe dramatically increased after the visa exemption was introduced. In the first quarter, the number of visitors from France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK reached 240,000, an increase of 12% compared to same period last year.
The growth rates from Spain were 23%, 13% from Italy, 13% from Germany, 11% from France and 9% from the UK.
Vu The Binh, the Vietnam Tourism Association's vice chairman, emphasised that the e-visa was different programme and they still needed to expand the visa exemption programme.
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Showing posts with label Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. Show all posts
Monday, 22 May 2017
Tuesday, 16 May 2017
VIET NAM: Fake Tourism Or Zero VND Tours A Menace To Tourism
“Zero-VND tours” have re-emerged in tourist attractions in Viet Nam, for examples in Quang Ninh Province, for Chinese travellers. Although free of charge, travel firms earn money from the exorbitant prices tourists are charged at certain shops. The “zero-dong tours” are of poor quality and have a negative impact on tourism. What has been done to curb them?
The Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and inspectors from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plan to propose to the Government specific mechanisms to address such violations.
For now, tour operators and owners of 15 stores offering goods for Chinese only will be fined heavily or have their business licences revoked.
In the longer term, we propose improving the Law on Tourism with additional sanctions for tourism mismanagement.
Higher fines are recommended and even criminal charges, depending on the seriousness of the violations.
VNAT will strengthen co-operation with its Chinese counterpart to ensure the rights and benefits of tourists traveling between the two countries.
What do you think about Quang Ninh’s proposed rules for Chinese travelers?
VNAT backs the province in the initiative and will join hands in developing the rules, which stipulate that travel firms must themselves provide the tours they offer and cannot transfer clients to other firms.
A price floor would be set up to avoid unreasonable price reductions, which is also expected to curb unhealthy competition.
Travel firms are encouraged to join a group or club in which they share the same views, visions and together implement measures to fight against poor quality tours.
Travel firms that are not qualified or refuse to join the group have to open a branch in Quang Ninh and fulfill tax obligations.
These suggested rules will be applied in Quang Ninh only. Other localities will have their own specific mechanisms.
Cheap tours, including zero-dong tours, have both negative and positive impacts. What should we do to minimise the negative and promote the positive?
In 2016 alone, 727,000 Chinese visited Quang Ninh Province through inland border gates, paying about VND330 billion (US$ 14.5 million) in visa fees and fares for sightseeing in Ha Long Bay.
The sum did not include revenues from accommodation and transport.
Each year, the province gets about VND900 billion ($39.6 million) to VND1 trillion from tourism that generates stable jobs for 3,000 -3,500 people.
To some extent, cheap tours and even zero-dong tours helped generate revenue. It’s not reasonable to completely ban such tours.
However, the tours need more control. Government bodies must tighten control and inspections at stores which want to overcharge or create difficulties for visitors.
On the other hand, more communication is needed to help visitors reach reliable service providers in the town.
Tax agencies, market watch and tourism agencies need further co-operation in overseeing foreign currency exchanges and international money transfers.
Such moves would help avoid tax loss as well as oversee the price and quality of goods sold to tourists.
Tourists must be informed clearly and fully about their tours. Both Chinese and Vietnamese travel firms must be strictly punished if they are found to collude to cheat tour buyers.
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is working with some localities that are popular destinations among Chinese tourists such as Quang Ninh, Danang and Khanh Hoa to cope with travel firms providing poor-quality tours to protect the interests of customers.
The agency also organizes many tourism promotion programs in China. Particularly, from May 11 to 20, the agency will cooperate with several travel firms to introduce Vietnam’s tourism in four Chinese cities, including Nanning, Fuzhou, Nanjing and Hefei.
The number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam has increased rapidly and is forecast to set a new record by the end of this year, with four million visitors, compared to 2.7 million in 2016.
The most popular Vietnamese destinations chosen by Chinese tourists include Hanoi, Halong, and Ninh Binh in the north; Danang, Hoi An, Hue and Nha Trang in the central region; and HCMC and Phu Quoc in the south.
Tour operators have also prepared themselves for the upsurge in Chinese arrivals.
“Last year, the number of Chinese visitors increased by 50% and we expect strong growth this year. Therefore, we have to prepare hotel rooms in advance to ensure better service for the tourist season at the end of 2017,” said Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Travel Trading Company Limited (Lien Bang Travelink).
Similarly, Chinese tourists account for 60-70% of total international arrivals catered to by local tour operator Vietravel, and the company usually receives large orders for groups of tourists all year round.
The Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and inspectors from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plan to propose to the Government specific mechanisms to address such violations.
For now, tour operators and owners of 15 stores offering goods for Chinese only will be fined heavily or have their business licences revoked.
In the longer term, we propose improving the Law on Tourism with additional sanctions for tourism mismanagement.
Higher fines are recommended and even criminal charges, depending on the seriousness of the violations.
VNAT will strengthen co-operation with its Chinese counterpart to ensure the rights and benefits of tourists traveling between the two countries.
What do you think about Quang Ninh’s proposed rules for Chinese travelers?
VNAT backs the province in the initiative and will join hands in developing the rules, which stipulate that travel firms must themselves provide the tours they offer and cannot transfer clients to other firms.
A price floor would be set up to avoid unreasonable price reductions, which is also expected to curb unhealthy competition.
Travel firms are encouraged to join a group or club in which they share the same views, visions and together implement measures to fight against poor quality tours.
Travel firms that are not qualified or refuse to join the group have to open a branch in Quang Ninh and fulfill tax obligations.
These suggested rules will be applied in Quang Ninh only. Other localities will have their own specific mechanisms.
Cheap tours, including zero-dong tours, have both negative and positive impacts. What should we do to minimise the negative and promote the positive?
In 2016 alone, 727,000 Chinese visited Quang Ninh Province through inland border gates, paying about VND330 billion (US$ 14.5 million) in visa fees and fares for sightseeing in Ha Long Bay.
The sum did not include revenues from accommodation and transport.
Each year, the province gets about VND900 billion ($39.6 million) to VND1 trillion from tourism that generates stable jobs for 3,000 -3,500 people.
To some extent, cheap tours and even zero-dong tours helped generate revenue. It’s not reasonable to completely ban such tours.
However, the tours need more control. Government bodies must tighten control and inspections at stores which want to overcharge or create difficulties for visitors.
On the other hand, more communication is needed to help visitors reach reliable service providers in the town.
Tax agencies, market watch and tourism agencies need further co-operation in overseeing foreign currency exchanges and international money transfers.
Such moves would help avoid tax loss as well as oversee the price and quality of goods sold to tourists.
Tourists must be informed clearly and fully about their tours. Both Chinese and Vietnamese travel firms must be strictly punished if they are found to collude to cheat tour buyers.
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is working with some localities that are popular destinations among Chinese tourists such as Quang Ninh, Danang and Khanh Hoa to cope with travel firms providing poor-quality tours to protect the interests of customers.
The agency also organizes many tourism promotion programs in China. Particularly, from May 11 to 20, the agency will cooperate with several travel firms to introduce Vietnam’s tourism in four Chinese cities, including Nanning, Fuzhou, Nanjing and Hefei.
The number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam has increased rapidly and is forecast to set a new record by the end of this year, with four million visitors, compared to 2.7 million in 2016.
The most popular Vietnamese destinations chosen by Chinese tourists include Hanoi, Halong, and Ninh Binh in the north; Danang, Hoi An, Hue and Nha Trang in the central region; and HCMC and Phu Quoc in the south.
Tour operators have also prepared themselves for the upsurge in Chinese arrivals.
“Last year, the number of Chinese visitors increased by 50% and we expect strong growth this year. Therefore, we have to prepare hotel rooms in advance to ensure better service for the tourist season at the end of 2017,” said Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Travel Trading Company Limited (Lien Bang Travelink).
Similarly, Chinese tourists account for 60-70% of total international arrivals catered to by local tour operator Vietravel, and the company usually receives large orders for groups of tourists all year round.
VIET NAM: China's Ban On Travel To South Korea,Chinese Tourists Flock Vietnam
According to Luong Quang So, head of the Mong Cai economic zone management board, on the days just before and after Tet (late January and early February), only 8,000-10,000 foreign travelers, including 2,500-3,500 Chinese, entered Vietnam through the Mong Cai border gate each day.
However, the figure increased sharply to 15,000 a day, including 5,000 from China in the last week, an increase of 50 percent over the same period last year.
Duong Van Co, chair of Mong Cai City, said that the increasing number of travelers has put pressure on customs clearance, but this has not had any impact on public order and tourism management.
The accommodations and tourism sites in Mong Cai are still capable of catering to travelers because most of the travelers go on domestic routes.
Thousands of Chinese travelers entered Vietnam through the Mong Cai international border gate two days after China's ban on travel to South Korea.
According to Co, as the number of tourists increases, the fees and charges collected from tourists at the border gate will increase. In 2016, the local authorities collected VND230 billion from this source.
On March 8, South Korean agencies said the Chinese administration met with representatives of tourism agencies and travel firms in Beijing and told the firms to stop providing tours to South Korea, commencing from March 15.
Seoul believes that the move is an unofficial sanction amid South Korea’s THAAD missile system deployment.
Beijing said it was disappointed about the South Korea’s decision, while it revealed to make comments about the retaliation plan.
Analysts said if Chinese travelers are prohibited from going to South Korea, they would flock to Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam instead.
Tran Chi Cuong, deputy director of the Da Nang City Tourism Department, said the department is keeping a close watch over the number of Chinese travelers.
The facilities in the city will still be able to serve Chinese travelers even if the number of tourists increases, Cuong said.
The sea city of Da Nang, with one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet, last year received 400,000 Chinese travelers. There are 25 air routes from China to Da Nang with 81 flights provided a week.
Nha Trang City of Khanh Hoa province is also popular with Chinese travelers. It received 1.1 million foreign travelers in 2016, including 525,000 Chinese travelers.
However, Nha Trang has been warned not to rely on the Chinese market. Tran Viet Trung, director of Khanh Hoa Tourism Department, admitted that the rapid development of the Chinese market has caused embarrassing problems in management.
Meanwhile, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is working with some localities that are popular destinations among Chinese tourists such as Quang Ninh, Danang and Khanh Hoa to cope with travel firms providing poor-quality tours to protect the interests of customers.
Vietnam’s tourism industry is taking a number of measures to increase service quality to welcome a greater number of Chinese visitors to the country, which is estimated to rise 50% to four million this year.
The agency also organizes many tourism promotion programs in China. Particularly, from May 11 to 20, the agency will cooperate with several travel firms to introduce Vietnam’s tourism in four Chinese cities, including Nanning, Fuzhou, Nanjing and Hefei.
The number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam has increased rapidly and is forecast to set a new record by the end of this year, with four million visitors, compared to 2.7 million in 2016.
The most popular Vietnamese destinations chosen by Chinese tourists include Hanoi, Halong, and Ninh Binh in the north; Danang, Hoi An, Hue and Nha Trang in the central region; and HCMC and Phu Quoc in the south.
Tour operators have also prepared themselves for the upsurge in Chinese arrivals.
Last year, the number of Chinese visitors increased by 50% and we expect strong growth this year. Therefore, we have to prepare hotel rooms in advance to ensure better service for the tourist season at the end of 2017, said Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Travel Trading Company Limited,Lien Bang Travelink.
Similarly, Chinese tourists account for 60-70% of total international arrivals catered to by local tour operator Vietravel, and the company usually receives large orders for groups of tourists all year round.
However, the figure increased sharply to 15,000 a day, including 5,000 from China in the last week, an increase of 50 percent over the same period last year.
Duong Van Co, chair of Mong Cai City, said that the increasing number of travelers has put pressure on customs clearance, but this has not had any impact on public order and tourism management.
The accommodations and tourism sites in Mong Cai are still capable of catering to travelers because most of the travelers go on domestic routes.
Thousands of Chinese travelers entered Vietnam through the Mong Cai international border gate two days after China's ban on travel to South Korea.
According to Co, as the number of tourists increases, the fees and charges collected from tourists at the border gate will increase. In 2016, the local authorities collected VND230 billion from this source.
On March 8, South Korean agencies said the Chinese administration met with representatives of tourism agencies and travel firms in Beijing and told the firms to stop providing tours to South Korea, commencing from March 15.
Seoul believes that the move is an unofficial sanction amid South Korea’s THAAD missile system deployment.
Beijing said it was disappointed about the South Korea’s decision, while it revealed to make comments about the retaliation plan.
Analysts said if Chinese travelers are prohibited from going to South Korea, they would flock to Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam instead.
Tran Chi Cuong, deputy director of the Da Nang City Tourism Department, said the department is keeping a close watch over the number of Chinese travelers.
The facilities in the city will still be able to serve Chinese travelers even if the number of tourists increases, Cuong said.
The sea city of Da Nang, with one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet, last year received 400,000 Chinese travelers. There are 25 air routes from China to Da Nang with 81 flights provided a week.
Nha Trang City of Khanh Hoa province is also popular with Chinese travelers. It received 1.1 million foreign travelers in 2016, including 525,000 Chinese travelers.
However, Nha Trang has been warned not to rely on the Chinese market. Tran Viet Trung, director of Khanh Hoa Tourism Department, admitted that the rapid development of the Chinese market has caused embarrassing problems in management.
Meanwhile, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is working with some localities that are popular destinations among Chinese tourists such as Quang Ninh, Danang and Khanh Hoa to cope with travel firms providing poor-quality tours to protect the interests of customers.
Vietnam’s tourism industry is taking a number of measures to increase service quality to welcome a greater number of Chinese visitors to the country, which is estimated to rise 50% to four million this year.
The agency also organizes many tourism promotion programs in China. Particularly, from May 11 to 20, the agency will cooperate with several travel firms to introduce Vietnam’s tourism in four Chinese cities, including Nanning, Fuzhou, Nanjing and Hefei.
The number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam has increased rapidly and is forecast to set a new record by the end of this year, with four million visitors, compared to 2.7 million in 2016.
The most popular Vietnamese destinations chosen by Chinese tourists include Hanoi, Halong, and Ninh Binh in the north; Danang, Hoi An, Hue and Nha Trang in the central region; and HCMC and Phu Quoc in the south.
Tour operators have also prepared themselves for the upsurge in Chinese arrivals.
Last year, the number of Chinese visitors increased by 50% and we expect strong growth this year. Therefore, we have to prepare hotel rooms in advance to ensure better service for the tourist season at the end of 2017, said Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Travel Trading Company Limited,Lien Bang Travelink.
Similarly, Chinese tourists account for 60-70% of total international arrivals catered to by local tour operator Vietravel, and the company usually receives large orders for groups of tourists all year round.
Sunday, 9 April 2017
VIETNAM: More Attractive Tourism Products
Vietnam's capital city Hanoi has attracted many investors to launch large-scale tourism projects. However, to refresh available products like the old quarter or cultural heritage sites, the tourism sector needs to improve their quality by investing in infrastructure and human resources.
Ha Noi’s tourism industry has made many significant achievements in recent years, but its development has not lived up to its potential or its expectations, tourism managers and enterprise workers agreed at a conference in the capital city.
Held within the framework of Viet Nam International Travel Mart at the International Exhibition Centre, the conference aimed to enhance tourism cooperation among nations, organisations, cities and provinces of high tourism potential.
The event also created opportunity for state tourism organisations to receive constructive feedback and support to overcome difficulties.
Viet Nam’s tourism in general — and Ha Noi’s in particular — have achieved obvious development. In 2016, the total number of tourists to visit
the capital reached 21.8 million, increasing by 11 per cent over 2015.
Meanwhile, the figure of international tourists to Ha Noi was 4 million, increasing by 23 per cent in comparison with the previous year.
The development has transformed economic structures and created job opportunities. It also has improved living standards, global integration and the national image.
According to Nguyen Van Tuan, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism’s general director, Ha Noi possesses many tourism resources that make it a high quality destination. There are two options for Ha Noi’s tourism development: creating new products and renovating the old ones.
In creating new products, the city has attracted many investors to launch large-scale tourism projects. However, to refresh available products like the old quarter, Sword Lake or cultural heritage sites, the tourism sector needs to improve their quality by investing in infrastructure and human resources.
Nguyen Tien Dat, the vice director of TransViet Company, argued that the pedestrian zone around Sword Lake, a temporary tourism product in the city, has not met its expectations. He suggested the introduction of more diversified cultural activities to enhance its attractiveness, like ao
dai zone to display Viet Nam’s traditional dress or photo exhibition capturing each period of Ha Noi.
According to Nguyen Quang Lan, the chairman of Viet Nam Tourism Association, Ha Noi needs to construct more international-standard leisure centres. Moreover, it is important to organise the tourism zones within the city to clearly identify its major tourism areas.
The conference also witnessed the signing ceremony of the cooperation agreement between Ha Noi and other provinces including Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Dien Bien, Lao Cai, Son La, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh and Hoa Binh.
Ha Noi’s tourism industry has made many significant achievements in recent years, but its development has not lived up to its potential or its expectations, tourism managers and enterprise workers agreed at a conference in the capital city.
Held within the framework of Viet Nam International Travel Mart at the International Exhibition Centre, the conference aimed to enhance tourism cooperation among nations, organisations, cities and provinces of high tourism potential.
The event also created opportunity for state tourism organisations to receive constructive feedback and support to overcome difficulties.
Viet Nam’s tourism in general — and Ha Noi’s in particular — have achieved obvious development. In 2016, the total number of tourists to visit
the capital reached 21.8 million, increasing by 11 per cent over 2015.
Meanwhile, the figure of international tourists to Ha Noi was 4 million, increasing by 23 per cent in comparison with the previous year.
The development has transformed economic structures and created job opportunities. It also has improved living standards, global integration and the national image.
According to Nguyen Van Tuan, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism’s general director, Ha Noi possesses many tourism resources that make it a high quality destination. There are two options for Ha Noi’s tourism development: creating new products and renovating the old ones.
In creating new products, the city has attracted many investors to launch large-scale tourism projects. However, to refresh available products like the old quarter, Sword Lake or cultural heritage sites, the tourism sector needs to improve their quality by investing in infrastructure and human resources.
Nguyen Tien Dat, the vice director of TransViet Company, argued that the pedestrian zone around Sword Lake, a temporary tourism product in the city, has not met its expectations. He suggested the introduction of more diversified cultural activities to enhance its attractiveness, like ao
dai zone to display Viet Nam’s traditional dress or photo exhibition capturing each period of Ha Noi.
According to Nguyen Quang Lan, the chairman of Viet Nam Tourism Association, Ha Noi needs to construct more international-standard leisure centres. Moreover, it is important to organise the tourism zones within the city to clearly identify its major tourism areas.
The conference also witnessed the signing ceremony of the cooperation agreement between Ha Noi and other provinces including Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Dien Bien, Lao Cai, Son La, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh and Hoa Binh.
Monday, 22 August 2016
VIETNAM: Hoa Binh Lake Becomes National Tourist Area
Development will focus on several key sectors, including ecotourism, adventure tourism, sports activities, MICE, and cultural tourism, including the area’s ethnic minorities. Tourism products such as “experiencing culture of the Muong ethnic minority and sightseeing around Hoa Binh Lake” have been identified.
The overall goal is to attract 630,000 visitors to the area by 2020, including 30,000 international tourists. This is then expected to increase 1.6 million visitors by 2030. International markets being prioritised include France, South Korea, Japan and Australia.
Hoa Binh Lake is located approximately 100km southwest of Hanoi.
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