Visa Inc. and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) have ranked Vietnam in the list of top 10 markets for travel and tourism employment in the region in their joint survey released on Monday.
"The top two global markets for travel and tourism employment are China and India with Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand all in the top 10,” said Greg Duffel, president and chief executive officer of PATA.
The travel and tourism industry generates 74.5 million jobs in China and 30.5 million jobs in India, according to the World Travel and Tourism Authority.
The survey does not clarify the number of employees working in the industry in Vietnam. However the Tourism Working Group under the Vietnam Business Forum disclosed this US$4.5-billion industry employed one out of every nine people in the country.
The travel and tourism industry was a major employer in nearly every destination in Asia Pacific, Duffel stressed in the statement about the Visa and PATA Asia Pacific travel intentions survey entitled “Determining Travel Preferences in 2009 and Beyond.”
The survey finds 36% of the more than 5,500 people surveyed from 11 tourism source marketplaces worldwide said they did not expect to make any changes to their travel plans in the near future while the rest were reviewing their plans in the wake of economic woes.
The survey shows 57% of those respondents reviewing their plans would still travel but look for cheaper alternatives while 38% would travel within their own country instead. Only 36% of the respondents said they would postpone travel.
“While the global economic situation will impact tourism, it is unlikely to bring travel to a standstill,” said Truong Minh Ha, Visa country manager for Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. “What our survey has shown is that travelers will be more creative in their selection of destinations.”
Duffel called for the travel industry to deliver creative solutions to shape promotions and offerings that suit travelers’ desires for new, economically sensitive travel options in order to keep people traveling.
According to the survey, Australians, British, Singaporeans, Indians and French were less likely than the average respondent to let economic concerns keep them from traveling. Meanwhile, those from Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and China would have their plans altered.
Downsizing travel plans was also a popular option for frequent travelers surveyed, with 70% saying that they would seek less expensive alternatives such as a change in destination or itinerary.
Domestic travel was an option being considered by 38% of the respondents, with more travelers from Japan, India, the United States and China opting for local holidays. Women were more likely than men to select the domestic option.
For the period from now till 2010, the survey shows Australia, Japan and Hong Kong as the top three destinations in Asia Pacific for travelers. This region is also named as the number one for those intending to travel overseas in the next two years.
Ha of Visa said the finding reinforced the vital role of the travel and tourism industry in the regional economy. She furthered despite the economic slowdown, last year saw the regional industry grow 5.76%, which is nearly double the world average rate, and that the industry accounted for more than 5.5% of the total gross domestic product in the region.
Duffel of PATA urged the Asia Pacific to have a constant supply of trained, ambitious service employees to keep up with “the impressive year-on-year growth in the region.”
Source SGT
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Vietnam Sea Festival to open in France
The 2009 Vietnam Sea Festival will be held in Paris, France on April 28-29 to promote advertising programmes and attract foreign visitors to tourist sites in Vietnam.
The festival is organised by the national flagship, Vietnam Airlines, in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnamese Embassy in France.
The event is expected to showcase 30 top-rated tourist sites and areas in Vietnam, which have maritime tourism potential, and hundreds of travel agencies in France, Europe and Vietnam.
The 2009 Vietnam Sea Festival is an opportunity for businesses to exchange information, seek business opportunities and advertise Vietnam’s tourism image.
Also on the occasion, Vietnam Airlines coordinated with tourist companies from France and Vietnam to create two special promotional programmes for French tourists visiting Vietnam from April 21 to June 19, and from August 21 to October 20, offering them a 25-percent reduction in prices.
Source Vietnamnet/VOV
The festival is organised by the national flagship, Vietnam Airlines, in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnamese Embassy in France.
The event is expected to showcase 30 top-rated tourist sites and areas in Vietnam, which have maritime tourism potential, and hundreds of travel agencies in France, Europe and Vietnam.
The 2009 Vietnam Sea Festival is an opportunity for businesses to exchange information, seek business opportunities and advertise Vietnam’s tourism image.
Also on the occasion, Vietnam Airlines coordinated with tourist companies from France and Vietnam to create two special promotional programmes for French tourists visiting Vietnam from April 21 to June 19, and from August 21 to October 20, offering them a 25-percent reduction in prices.
Source Vietnamnet/VOV
Bat Trang artisans, villagers band against cheap imports
Bat Trang ceramics artisans and producers are mobilising to make them more competitive against imports being sold in the village, some under the local brand name.
The local products are hand-made and individually crafted with each one being different, whereas the imported are produced in bulk at a lower temperature using cheaper glazes.
Local authorities say they will spare no effort to preserve their brand’s foothold by cutting prices to compete against the imports, which are up to 20 per cent cheaper, and to highlight the local products.
"We are working hard to purify Bat Trang ceramics," says Bat Trang Ceramics Association Chairman Le Xuan Pho. "It is unacceptable to mistake Bat Trang ceramics for Chinese or other ceramics."
Pho’s concern is echoed by connoisseurs, who voice disappointment at the number of inferior and forged products being sold at the Bat Trang ceramic market.
Buyer Nguyen Anh Minh says he does not go to the Bat Trang ceramics market to buy Phu Lang ceramics or any other.
"I just want to buy original ceramics products of Bat Trang itself," he says.
Worse still, imported ceramics are being sold under the Bat Trang ceramics brand name and inexperienced buyers cannot tell the difference.
Bat Trang ceramics are handmade and some pieces are unique. They are usually burned at 1,000oC, which makes the glaze turn opaque and the products more durable.
Imported ceramics, on the other hand, are produced on a production line and burned at 800oC, thus making them cheaper but inferior.
"By burning at a lower temperature they can use a cheaper glaze and thus further cut costs," artisan Nguyen Van Sao says. The imported products are usually very colourful, but many are of the same design whereas most of the local pieces are unique.
To preserve the Bat Trang ceramics brand name, Pho says artisans and production households in the village are being mobilised to cut the price of their ceramics and make them more competitive.
Pho says the programme will also help minimise the impact of the global economic crisis.
It will cost tens of billions of dong to implement the one-year programme to promote the production of high quality ceramics, which started in January, he says. The investment will come from businessmen and villagers who no longer find it profitable to play the stock market, keep money in the bank or trade in real estate.
Pho believes Bat Trang Village retailers will give up selling imported ceramics once they find the quality and price of Bat Trang ceramics more competitive.
"The appearance of imported ceramics has been a headache to the village," Bat Trang Commune People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Van Ao says.
Ceramics and products from well-known ceramics families like Chu Dau, Phu Lang, Dong Trieu and Binh Duong are also put on sale in Bat Trang merely to meet customer demand, he says.
However, he agrees that only products produced by the Bat Trang Village should be sold in the village.
Artisan Nguyen Tien Dat says the traditional craft village is in danger of losing its natural character and its revenue.
Last year the village earned VND172 billion (over US$10 million) from the craft, down from the VND226 billion ($14 million) in the previous year.
Many families have stopped making ceramics because they cannot sell their products. Of the 950 households doing the trade in 2007, only about 800 remain in the game.
Though the number of households may continue to decrease, Ao believes the village’s total revenue will not go down if the programme to increase the quality and cut costs is successful.
The village will also improve its marketing overseas on which it is most reliant. It exports about 64 per cent of its ceramics to Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, the UK and Germany every year.
Minh Hai Ceramics Company Director Nguyen Huy Quan believes in the production and retailing of only Bat Trang ceramics. His company sells 90 per cent village products.
"Though the number of customers buying our ceramics has dropped due to the global economic crisis, most of our customers still like to buy Bat Trang products," Quan says.
Source Viet Nam News
The local products are hand-made and individually crafted with each one being different, whereas the imported are produced in bulk at a lower temperature using cheaper glazes.
Local authorities say they will spare no effort to preserve their brand’s foothold by cutting prices to compete against the imports, which are up to 20 per cent cheaper, and to highlight the local products.
"We are working hard to purify Bat Trang ceramics," says Bat Trang Ceramics Association Chairman Le Xuan Pho. "It is unacceptable to mistake Bat Trang ceramics for Chinese or other ceramics."
Pho’s concern is echoed by connoisseurs, who voice disappointment at the number of inferior and forged products being sold at the Bat Trang ceramic market.
Buyer Nguyen Anh Minh says he does not go to the Bat Trang ceramics market to buy Phu Lang ceramics or any other.
"I just want to buy original ceramics products of Bat Trang itself," he says.
Worse still, imported ceramics are being sold under the Bat Trang ceramics brand name and inexperienced buyers cannot tell the difference.
Bat Trang ceramics are handmade and some pieces are unique. They are usually burned at 1,000oC, which makes the glaze turn opaque and the products more durable.
Imported ceramics, on the other hand, are produced on a production line and burned at 800oC, thus making them cheaper but inferior.
"By burning at a lower temperature they can use a cheaper glaze and thus further cut costs," artisan Nguyen Van Sao says. The imported products are usually very colourful, but many are of the same design whereas most of the local pieces are unique.
To preserve the Bat Trang ceramics brand name, Pho says artisans and production households in the village are being mobilised to cut the price of their ceramics and make them more competitive.
Pho says the programme will also help minimise the impact of the global economic crisis.
It will cost tens of billions of dong to implement the one-year programme to promote the production of high quality ceramics, which started in January, he says. The investment will come from businessmen and villagers who no longer find it profitable to play the stock market, keep money in the bank or trade in real estate.
Pho believes Bat Trang Village retailers will give up selling imported ceramics once they find the quality and price of Bat Trang ceramics more competitive.
"The appearance of imported ceramics has been a headache to the village," Bat Trang Commune People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Van Ao says.
Ceramics and products from well-known ceramics families like Chu Dau, Phu Lang, Dong Trieu and Binh Duong are also put on sale in Bat Trang merely to meet customer demand, he says.
However, he agrees that only products produced by the Bat Trang Village should be sold in the village.
Artisan Nguyen Tien Dat says the traditional craft village is in danger of losing its natural character and its revenue.
Last year the village earned VND172 billion (over US$10 million) from the craft, down from the VND226 billion ($14 million) in the previous year.
Many families have stopped making ceramics because they cannot sell their products. Of the 950 households doing the trade in 2007, only about 800 remain in the game.
Though the number of households may continue to decrease, Ao believes the village’s total revenue will not go down if the programme to increase the quality and cut costs is successful.
The village will also improve its marketing overseas on which it is most reliant. It exports about 64 per cent of its ceramics to Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, the UK and Germany every year.
Minh Hai Ceramics Company Director Nguyen Huy Quan believes in the production and retailing of only Bat Trang ceramics. His company sells 90 per cent village products.
"Though the number of customers buying our ceramics has dropped due to the global economic crisis, most of our customers still like to buy Bat Trang products," Quan says.
Source Viet Nam News
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Central province to invest $31mil in tourism
The central province of Thua Thien-Hue will invest some VND500 billion (US$31.46 million) to boost the development of tourism this year, says the chairman of the provincial People's Committee, Nguyen Ngoc Thien.
Some VND90 billion out of the total amount comes from the provincial budget. The remaining amount will be mobilised from other economic sectors, Thien adds.
The investment will cover projects on tourism infrastructure development, including new hotels, shopping and relaxation centers, and restaurants. It will also include the preservation of the former imperial city of Hue in an effort to make it become Viet Nam's "specific festival city", he says.
Meanwhile, the provincial authorities have committed to strengthen measures that make trading activities and services in tourist areas more orderly.
Last year, the province welcomed 1.53 million visitors. This was an increase of 17.6 per cent in volume and 34.6 per cent in revenue compared to the previous year.
Over the Lunar New Year, Huong Giang and Saigon-Morin Hue hotels received between 900-1,000 visitors a day.
With free admission offered by the Hue Relics Preservation Center on the first two days of the Tet, it welcomed some 16,000 visitors.
These are positive signals for the provincial tourism sector this year, Thien says.
Source Viet Nam News
Watermelon shortage for Tet holidays
A poor harvest in one of the nation’s main watermelon growing areas means there may be a shortage of the large juicy fruit during the coming Tet holidays.
Watermelon farms in several provinces in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta where this fruit is mainly grown have had a smaller than usual spring-winter harvest, according to senior provincial agriculture officials.
Nguyen Thi Nhu Y, head of the Cultivation Unit at Long An Province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the area under watermelon cultivation in the province for this year’s winter-spring harvest was about 1,100ha , a sharp decrease in area compared to the previous years.
"Bad weather was also one of the main reasons for the smaller harvest," said Y, adding that rain and cold spells last month and earlier this month resulted in many melons rotting away.
In 2007, Long An Province grew 3,900ha of watermelon, with 1,300ha for the summer-autumn harvest, 400ha for the autumn-winter harvest and 1,100ha for the winter-spring harvest.
Annually, the province grows from 1,500ha to 2,000ha of watermelon for the winter-spring harvest, according to Y.
The productivity estimated by the department this year is about 15 to 20 tonnes per hectare, decreasing by 5 to 7 tonnes per hectare compared to last year.
The poor harvest means watermelons will be expensive during the Tet holidays, when people often include the fruit in offerings to their ancestors.
Last Tet holidays, Long An Province harvested about 40,000 tonnes of watermelon, but about 80 per cent was sold to traders in Ha Noi for exporting to China.
Y said another reason for the smaller harvest was that farmers had converted some land for melons growing into rice paddies.
"The price of rice was high last year, thus farmers grew more rice," she said.
Associations responsible for collecting watermelons from farmers and managers of the sector haven’t escaped blame for the poor harvest.
Y said collection and distribution groups as well as managers had been letting farmers down.
"They have not been helpful for farmers, who have to sell their products to traders at low prices, while consumers have to buy at high price," she said.
Watermelon farmers in the southern provinces of Tien Giang and Ben Tre have also had poor harvests.
Nguyen Van Khang, director of Tien Giang Province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said farmers in the province had the same difficulties as their colleagues in Long An.
He said the area used to grow melons for the winter-spring harvest was 1,000ha, 50 per cent smaller than last year.
The price of watermelons in HCM City has already increased slightly. At Ba Chieu Market, the price of watermelons has reached VND8,500 - VND9,000 per kg (US$0.5), increasing VND1,000 compared to prices one week ago. At the Co-op Food Supermarket, the price is VND6,800 per kg.
Farmers lose out
However, farmers are not benefiting from the rising melon prices.
According to Tran Van Tu, a watermelon grower in Thanh An Commune, Thanh Hoa District in Long An Province, he only gets between VND2,300 to VND2,800 per kg. It’s the middle men who are pocketing the profits from rising prices, said Tu.
"For several years we have mainly been growing watermelons for export after the Tet holidays and we only sell a small amount during Tet," said Tu.
Source Vietnamnet
Vegetarian culinary program in first lunar month
Vegetarian food is becoming more and more popular in Vietnam. The first month of the lunar year is traditionally a good time for vegetarian dining as it is when Buddhists pray to Buddha for good things in the New Year and eat a healthy, vegetarian diet to counteract the effects of the fatty food consumed during the Tet holidays.
Vegetarian food, which is made primarily from vegetables, fruit, pulses and tofu, is a favorite not only amongst Saigonese but also foreign tourists. Consequently a number of restaurants and hotels offer vegetarian programs on the occasion of the Lunar New Year.
Over the eight past years Van Canh Restaurant has gained a reputation for its vegetarian buffets in the New Year holidays as a gift for gastronomes. Its buffet program “Loc dau xuan” (Bud of Spring) features many of vegetarian dishes in combination with natural colors and flavors of plants, fruits and beans and vegetable.
Visitors will also have a chance to enjoy some of the well-known cake brand Givral, and will be presented with a photo of Saint Zenit as a symbol of prosperity and receive best wishes for health and happiness in the New Year.
The buffet program runs from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. from February 4 to 24 (the tenth day to the thirtieth day of the lunar new year). On February 9, or the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the restaurant will serve a buffet lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are priced at VND120,000 per adult and VND60,000 per child; a purchase of 10 tickets will get one free and a voucher valued US$10 for a trip to Cambodia.
At Que Huong 1 Restaurant is also offering vegetarian gastronomes a variety of choices from its buffet program on February 8 and 9. Tickets are priced at VND99,000 per adult and VND79,000 per child for buffet lunch and VND159,000 per adult and VND99,000 per child for buffet dinner.
Van Canh Restaurant is located at 184 Calmette Street, District 1, HCMC. Tel: (08) 3829 4963.
Que Huong 1 Restaurant is located at 49 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, District 1, HCMC. Tel: (08) 3829 4443.
Source SGT
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Air France adds flights on Vietnam-Paris routes
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25 new caves discovered in Quang Binh
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Ha Long Bay ranks third in category G
By February 15, Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay ranked third among the 25 World Heritage Sites in category G in the second round of the campaign to select the new Natural Wonders of the World, according to the organiser, Newopenworld.
In the table, Ha Long Bay is right below Australia and Papua New Guinea’s Great Barrief Reef and Bangladesh’s beach Cox’s Bazaar coral reef.
In the second round, Newopenworld divided the 261 nominees, A to G, corresponding to seven types of landscape such as scenery; islands and archipelagos; mountains and volcanoes; caves, stone structures and valleys; forests and national parks, natural conservation sites; lakes, rivers and waterfalls; beautiful beaches.
Every week, Newopenworld will update World Heritage Sites with the most overwhelming vote on their website at www.new7wonders.com.
Source Vietnamnet/VOV
Jetstar Pacific offers huge discounts on domestic fares
Jetstar Pacific, Vietnam’s budget airline, has announced that it is to offer 50,000 low-price fares on its domestic routes to travelers flying between March 3 and May 21.
The tickets will be available from Feb. 18-22 through a wide range of outlets, including its website, at www.jetstar.com, at booking offices and agents nationwide, or via its ticket hotlines, which can be reached by dialling 19001550 or 08.39550550.
Tickets for domestic flights connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Da Nang and Hue cities, and Hanoi with Da Nang will be slashed to 250,000 VND, whilst tickets for flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, Hai Phong and Vinh cities, and from Hanoi to Can Tho City will be available for just 500,000VND.
Source VNA
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Vietnam Sea Festival to open in France
The 2009 Vietnam Sea Festival will be held in Paris, France on April 28-29 to promote advertising programmes and attract foreign visitors to tourist sites in Vietnam.
The festival is organised by the national flagship, Vietnam Airlines, in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnamese Embassy in France.
The event is expected to showcase 30 top-rated tourist sites and areas in Vietnam, which have maritime tourism potential, and hundreds of travel agencies in France, Europe and Vietnam.
The 2009 Vietnam Sea Festival is an opportunity for businesses to exchange information, seek business opportunities and advertise Vietnam’s tourism image.
Also on the occasion, Vietnam Airlines coordinated with tourist companies from France and Vietnam to create two special promotional programmes for French tourists visiting Vietnam from April 21 to June 19, and from August 21 to October 20, offering them a 25-percent reduction in prices.
Source Vietnamnet/VOV
Vietnamese art needs sponsors
A predilection for art patronage is not something that future Vietnamese businessmen pick up while they are in school.
In many countries, art sponsorship is not only a way businessmen show their social responsibility, but also a cultural habit, and even a way to show-off their positions. This habit is encouraged by the law. Art patronage is clearly separated from advertising sponsorship, which enjoys tax incentives.
In Vietnam, music shows have been booming in recent years with the sponsorship of corporations. These sponsors generously invest in art shows as one way to advertise their products. But sponsorship in these instances is sometimes wanting.
Meanwhile, the country doesn’t promote art sponsorship foundations. Due to lack of social support and assistance from businesses, Vietnamese artists face difficulties in the creation and distribution of their artworks.
It has been suggested that big groups and corporations like Vietnam Airlines, Vinashin, PetroVietnam, VNPT or FPT set up cultural foundations to sponsor contemporary arts and other kinds of arts.
Their sponsorship of artists could also entail technical and media assistance, purchasing artworks for display at offices, hiring artists to design logos and new works, etc.
In the US, there were 62,000 cultural, social and art sponsor foundations in 2006 and they raised $3.6 billion. At the same time, France had 2,100 foundations, the UK 8,800 and Italy 3,300 foundations of this kind. Contemporary art centres like Foundation Cartier, La Maison Rouge, and cultural foundations of France Telecom, RATP are very well-known in France.
Meanwhile, the development of arts in Vietnam is progressing much slower than in some other regional countries.
While local businesses don’t pay attention to art sponsorship activities, many unique cultural shows have been organised by foreign embassies, non-governmental organisations and foreign companies in Vietnam.
In 2008, art shows like the European Music Festial, Germany-Vietnam Hip-hop Dance, Jazz Vocal’s shows, performances by some western symphonies and artists in Hanoi and HCM City, film weeks of France, the UK, Japan, South Korea, short film festivals, workshops and talks about books, fashion design contests, etc. brought about wonderful moments for Vietnamese audiences.
These programmes were held for free and were organised very well. Artists invited to these shows were the most famous in their fields. The films introduced were the best ones.
Patricia Norland from the US Consulate General in HCM City said cultural exchange and sponsorship activities are organised to bring opportunities for both sides to know and understand each other and create new sources of inspiration for artists.
The former Deputy Director of the HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nguyen The Thanh, said: “Cultural patronage is not simply providing money to cultural programmes but includes other jobs like putting forth new ideas, setting directions and licencing cultural projects."
How would the development of the arts gone without the Medicis, who were sponsors of Michelangelo, or without King Louis XIV of France, Russian Queen Catherine or other families like the Rothschilds, Rockefellers, and billionaires Andrew Carnegie and Peggy Guggenheim?
Current famous sponsors of art and culture in the world are Charles Saatchi (UK), Francois Pinault, Yves Saint Laurent (France). They have strongly influenced the development of the contemporary arts.
Source TT/Vietnamnet
2009 Ha Long carnival to open this spring
The 2009 carnival is scheduled to take place in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh province from April 25 to May 2, featuring floating stages and impressive fireworks displays.
The opening ceremony will be held at 5.30pm on April 25 at Bai Chay ferry in the form of a carnival on the sea and in the air, it will be called “Ha Long, a World Cultural Heritage-Rendez Vous”.
There will be a fireworks show at the closing ceremony on May 2. The event will be broadcast live on VTV1 and VTV3.
During the week of the carnival, many activities will be organised, such as a food festival among the main economic zones in northern and northeastern provinces, performances by domestic and international artists, sports competitions and business fairs.
Source Vietnamnet/VOV
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