Travel

Tourists visit Trang An site in Ninh Binh province - Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The four-day calendar New Year holiday and the nine-day lunar New Year (Tet) festival are expected to offer golden chances for the Vietnamese tourism sector, with the number of holiday-makers booking tours via travel agents forecast to rise by 30 percent year-on-year. In recent years, the holidays have been occasions for people to not only reunite with their relatives and friends, but also design journeys to relax themselves. To prepare for their vacations, many people learnt about New Year tours right from September. According to experienced holiday-makers, when making plans and registering early, they will have many choices, while avoiding the “fully booked” state and price increases during these occasions. Pham Van Bay, Deputy Director of Vietravel Hanoi – a leading tour operator in Vietnam, said that the number of visitors booking New Year 2019 tours via … [Read more...] about New Year holidays – golden chances for tourism sector

An Iranian man has been arrested after using travel freebies to lure an unsuspecting Japanese tourist into smuggling a bag of clothes laced with crystal meth, Thai police said Monday (Dec 10). Demand for meth is surging in the region at a time when authorities are attempting to crack down on the trade. (Photo: AFP/NICOLAS ASFOURI) The tourist, whose name has not been disclosed, found the deal on a travel website that offered free getaways to Thailand, Shanghai and Frankfurt, complete with thousands in spending money. But after arriving in Thailand last week, he was handed "suspicious" luggage for his next trip to Shanghai, Itthipol Itthisarnronnachai, deputy chief of Thailand's immigration department, told reporters. "Inside the bag, he found clothes that felt more solid than usual. He then contacted the Japanese embassy," Itthipol said. Police said the clothes had been coated with crystal methamphetamine - known as ice. Four bags of the drug were also found, adding up to … [Read more...] about Japanese tourist lured by travel freebies into smuggling meth

The seven millionth international guest was Tissot Jean Claude, who was on flight VN10 by the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, from Paris to HCM City. Speaking at the ceremony Le Thanh Liem, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, highlighted the municipal tourism sector’s annual growth which has stood at roughly 15% in recent years. HCM City is accelerating the implementation of its tourism development strategy, focusing on sustainable and green tourism in connection with environmental protection, and technological applications for tourism development. The city set a target to expand tourism growth by between 15-20% and serve approximately 8-8.5 million foreign holidaymakers in 2019, he added. Jointly organised by the municipal Department of Tourism and Vietnam Airlines, the ceremony is one of the activities to celebrate the 320th anniversary of the foundation of Ho Chi Minh City. On the occasion, the municipal Department of Tourism launched a tourism … [Read more...] about HCM City welcomes seven million foreign visitors in 2018

A waiter in a cafe hosts visitors with a smile in Hoi An (Photo courtesy Cafe Faifo)   Quang Nam (VNS/VNA) - The ancient city of Hoi An has launched a campaign to raise awareness of good-natured behaviour and hospitality among the community, promoting a friendly tourism environment to make the city the most popular destination in central Vietnam. Director of Hoi An’s Culture and Sports Centre Vo Phung said that the project will focus on limiting poor manners when hosting tourists in public sites, restaurants and destinations in the old quarter. He said booming mass tourism and rapid urbanisation in Hoi An in recent years had partly spoilt the good-natured image of Hoi An’s people and culture that has been preserved for generations. The project introduced a code of conduct for local residents, promoting gentle manners, he added Phung said the project had implemented a survey among the community in two residential quarters – Cam Pho and Minh An – two … [Read more...] about Ancient Hoi An city revives gentle manners in tourism

Source: nld.com.vn The lucky visitor was Tissot Jeanclaure from France. Tissot Jeanclaure, along with two other visitors who had arrived directly before and immediately after him, were presented with special gifts from the department and Vietnam Airlines. All three passengers were on the same flight from France to Ho Chi Minh City. The welcome ceremony was part of a number of activities to commemorate 320 years since the establishment of the city. To mark the occasion, the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched 8 special tours, which will give visitors an insight into the development of Ho Chi Minh city since from its inception to the present day.  The number of international arrivals to Ho Chi Minh City reached 6.79 million in November, up 19.6% compared to the same period last year, and the city aims to attract 8.5 million foreigners next year. The Department will continue to launch tourism promotion … [Read more...] about HCM City welcomes its 7 millionth foreign tourist