Authorities seek to woo tourists

Tourism authorities in the country have been told to roll up their sleeves in preparing tourism promotions now to attract tourists, especially those from key visitor-generating markets.

Numerous activities will be organized right this month to introduce the country’s image to potential markets, especially an international press conference on the “Exciting

Vietnam” program, which will promote Vietnam as a safe, exciting and friendly destination for travelers. This event is part of the activities to promote the country’s tourism over three months from June to September, as instructed by the State Steering Committee for Tourism.

Ho Anh Tuan, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a standing member of the committee, will work directly with related ministries and departments to conduct the plan to attract tourists to Vietnam.

According to the plan, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will work with the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Information and Communications, and Transport and enterprises to run the three-month program.

Local agencies will organize familiarization (FAM) and press trips for travel firms and news organizations from potential tourism markets of Vietnam to famous destinations in the country.

Japan, South Korea, Russia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan are seen as potential markets of Vietnam’s tourism as stated by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will meet with authorities, tourism associations, tour operators and related organizations to work on the plan and look for solutions for the industry.

This year and next, authorities will cooperate with travel firms to boost information dissemination about the tourism market, and mull ways to connect Vietnam with other

regional markets such as Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, helping tourists travel easily.

Ba Be proposed as top eco-tourism site in Vietnam

The People’s Committee of the northern mountainous province of Bac Kan and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) held a conference on June 17, on the

investment and development of Ba Be Tourism Site.

The investment project was approved by the Prime Minister in October 2013 with the aim of developing Ba Be into a top ecological tourism site in Vietnam.

Experts said that Bac Kan should develop different types of tourism available in Ba Be lake, including adventure, ecological and spiritual tourism, making full use of its cave and falls systems and breathtaking scenery.

They suggested that the province upgrade transport routes, and popularise Ba Be’s image to attract investment.

Ba Be National Park is included in the Ramsar Convention on the list of wetlands that are of international importance, and is the most famous and popular tourism destination in Bac Kan.

The bio-diversity in the 10,000 ha park is also impressive, it is home to 1,268 species of flora and fauna. The site was also recognised as an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2004.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, deputy director general of Saigonotourist – the national leading tour operator- pledged to invest in this site and asked for simplified investment procedures in the locality.

MoCST Deputy Minister Ho Anh Tuan expressed hope that Saigontourist will support Bac Kan in fully tapping the potential of Ba Be tourism site. He also proposed that Bac

Kan introduce investment incentives, especially in the areas of transport and tourism infrastructure, aiming to turn Ba Be Tourism Site into a majestic resort.

Taiwan tourism group visits HCM City

A delegation of 20 tourism businesspeople and 15 reporters from Taiwan have paid a visit to HCM City from June 16-19.

The delegation will visit well-known tourist spots in HCM City and meet with Taiwan businesses operating in Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces. Foreign guests will also

meet with ranking officials of the provinces as well as managers of local industrial parks and export processing zones.

In the first five months of the year, 103,209 Taiwanese visited the city, 10 per cent higher than the same period last year.

Travel agencies charge for children

Many Vietnamese parents are complaining that local tour agencies are using various tricks to take money from children, who should get free services.

Last month, while Trinh Minh Hieu and his family went on a tour to My Son Sanctuary and Ly Son Island, he was shocked to learn that children aged over two were also

charged for fees at all sites except for Son My Memorial and Chu Lai Museum.

Hieu said that he had trusted the travel agency which charged VND285,000 (USD13.6) for his four-year-old niece.

Like Ngoc Son Temple, the Temple of Literature in Hanoi charges no admission for children under 15, but many travel agencies in HCM City still charge for children over

five.

The Tung Lam Development Company said they offered free admission to children under seven or people over 70 for the suspension cable ride to Yen Tu Pagoda in Quang

Ninh Province. However, many travel firms continue to collect these fees, excluding it from the tour price.

Under the regulation by the Quang Ninh People’s Committee, children seven or under should be exempted from fees to visit Ha Long Bay. Those aged between seven and

15 are to be charged, while the adult rate is VND120,000. However, a number of travel agencies ignore the regulations and charge their own rates.

A wide range of travel agencies in HCM City count any child over 11 as adults and give children over five a 50% "discount".

Representatives from two large travel agencies in HCM City said that during the summer vacation of 2013, customers aged between five and 12 accounted for 16-20% of

their total number of customers, showing the profitability of charging for children.