Sep
18
|
Four regional nations eye 25 million tourists
|
|
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, often referred to as CLMV, are looking to attract 25 million foreign tourists in 2015, up by 12.7 million against 2011.
The four nations have agreed to join hands in investment, promotion, personnel training, product development, and transport connectivity in a bid to accomplish this goal.
This was announced by senior tourism officials of the four countries last Friday, after the first CLMV Tourism Ministerial Conference and the signing of a cooperation deal in 2013-2015. Among the targeted 25 million international tourist arrivals, some four million could come from regional countries, up from the 1.9 million recorded last year.
Mr. Thong Khon, Cambodian minister of tourism, said this is an ambitious target, so the four countries’ tourism authorities must boost cooperation to make the region an attractive destination for tourists. “We need to develop and promote our products, and call for support of the governments for connecting the transport systems to lure visitors,” he said.
In an effort to attract tourists, CLMV are considering a common visa scheme for international tourists to travel through the four countries. Thereafter, CLMV will work with Thailand over this scheme.
“We are preparing to test issue a common visa for those visiting Cambodia and Thailand. Once this plan produces positive results, we can extend this to the five countries,” said Mr. Thong Khon.
Mr. Hoang Tuan Anh, Vietnam’s minister of culture, sports and tourism, said that under the cooperation agreement for the 2013-2015 period, the four nations would be jointly organizing tourism promotion events in Europe, the U.S., South Korea and Japan, and participating in some other international events.
The ministers have proposed the governments accelerate the process of building infrastructure for tourism development.
“For ten years now, Vietnam’s Government has spent trillions of dong building tourism infrastructure and this process is still underway. The other countries, such as Cambodia, have done the same. This effort will help the tourism authorities in the region achieve the goal,” he said.
After the first CLMV Tourism Ministerial Conference held in HCMC, the four countries will take turns to host the annual event. The 2013 event will take place in Cambodia.
Speaking to the Daily on the sidelines of the tourism ministerial conference, Mr. Thong Khon said the number of tourists from Vietnam to Cambodia would hit a record high this year, at around 800,000 versus 660,000 in 2011.
Vietnamese tourists mainly travel to Cambodia by road, with the favorite destinations being Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. At present, some 239 passenger coaches travel across the seven border gates between the two countries a day.
“In the first seven months of 2012, we got 400,000 visitors from Vietnam. This is the biggest source market for Cambodia,” he said.
Cambodia’s tourism authority has made strong investments to attract tourists from Vietnam. At the 2012 International Travel Expo in HCMC, the neighboring country spent about US$150,000-170,000 setting up a 135-square-meter booth, featuring a lot of activities for partners and customers.
Cambodia was the biggest delegation joining the expo, with 170 people and 27 tour operators. Last Thursday, Cambodia organized an event called Cambodian Night to introduce the country’s culture and tourism, and receive hundreds of Vietnamese and foreign travel firms.
Mr. Thong Khon added around 400,000 Cambodians came to Vietnam last year, mainly for medical treatment.
|
|
|
|
Sep
18
|
Phu Yen aims to sharpen its tourism spearhead
|
|
Phu Yen is striving to develop its tourism sector into a spearhead economic industry. Phu Yen's People's Committee recently approved a project to develop the local tourism until 2015 with vision towards 2020, with the intention of turning Phu Yen into one of the key tourist provinces in the south central coast.
Potential to develop sea and island tourism
Phu Yen has been favored with cultural heritages, a 190km-long coastline, and attractive landscapes including the swamps of Cu Mong and O Loan, and Vung Ro Bay. In addition, the province has hot mineral water sources, which offer favorable conditions for the development of medical tourism.
The province has a convenient communication network including National Highways 25 and 29 linking the south central coastal provinces with the Central Highlands. Tuy Hoa Airport can accommodate 747 Boeing aircraft and Vung Ro Bay can receive more than 5,000-tonne cruise ships.
Over the past few years, Phu Yen has focused investment on its socioeconomic development in favor of tourism. Routes linking Tuy Hoa City with some local tourist landscapes including Giant's Causeway, the Bai Mon Area, and Vung Ro Bay have been built and other arteries have also been upgraded. A number of large-scale projects are being expanded including the pedestrianized underground crossing at Deo Ca, Phu Yen Railway Station, and the economic zones of South Phu Yen, Nhan Hoi, and Van Phong.
Phu Yen is now regarded as a national gateway province to the sea for provinces in the Central Highlands as many international border gates have been set up in these provinces including the Bo Y International Border Gate in Kon Tum and the Duc Co International Border Gate in Gia Lai.
Thanks to its rapid infrastructure development in recent years, the number of tourists to the province has increased considerably compared to the country's provincial average. Some travel companies have for the first time offered inter-provincial sea and island tours for both domestic and foreign visitors. Last year, Phu Yen successfully organized a national tourism event on the occasion of its 400th anniversary and celebration of its development.
Long term strategic development
In order to sharpen its spearhead tourism industry and consolidate its key position in the development chain of provinces in the Central Highlands and along the south central coast, Phu Yen Province's People's Committee has approved a VND13.6 trillion project to develop local tourism until 2015 with vision towards 2020. The project will focus on the local tourism master plan, intensive investment in local infrastructure in tourism areas; and will especially call for the private sector to exploit inter-provincial and regional sea and island tourism.
According to the project, Phu Yen will attract more than 850,000 tourists by 2015, with the number of foreign visitors accounting for more than 10 percent of the total with the tourism sector's contribution to the provincial GDP increasing up to 5.7 percent. By 2020, the province anticipates welcoming around 1.8 million tourists, with the sector contributing 7.2 percent to the provincial GDP.
Phu Yen has implemented a series of favorable policies to develop its tourism industry, including tourism incentives and favorable administrative procedures to attract both domestic and foreign investors. In addition, it has also paid attention to training local tourism staff, especially in terms of foreign languages and professional capability.
To date, Phu Yen has attracted around 305,000 visitors, a 5.2 percent increase compared to the same period last year, 20,500 of which were foreign visitors. Total revenues reached VND329.2 billion, a 31.7 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
|
|
|
|
|
Sep
18
|
Binh Phuoc needs tourism investment
|
|
The southern province of Binh Phuoc will organize an investment promotion conference on November 22-23 to call for investment in ecological and cultural tourism.
At a press conference held in HCMC last week, Nguyen Quang Toan, director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the province’s tourism resources with old forests, waterfalls, lakes, historical and cultural sites, festivals and cultures of ethnic minority groups can be developed into special tourism products.
Six major tourism projects will be introduced at the forthcoming conference, including Suoi Cam Lake in Dong Xoai Town and the Ba Ra-Thac Mo tourist site in Phuoc Long Town, the Mien Ta Thiet military base in Loc Ninh District, the project of preserving cultural villages in Bu Dang District, the ecological tourist site in Bu Gia Map National Park and the ecological tourist site at Hoa Lu Border Gate.
According to Toan, the government of Binh Phuoc Province has paid more attention to tourism. However, the provincial tourism has still had difficulties as projects are being implemented and have yet to come into operation.
|
|
|
|
|
Con Son – Kiep Bac Autumn Festival to start
|
|
18/09/2012 09:46:50
|
|
|
|
Oliver Stone rolls into town with Savages
|
|
18/09/2012 09:42:18
|
|
|
|
Cast adrift on Ly Son Island
|
|
18/09/2012 09:26:37
|
|
|
|
After Tram Gian temple, another national relic is harmed
|
|
18/09/2012 09:24:25
|
|
|
|
Sea Festival 2013 to be held in June
|
|
18/09/2012 09:22:04
|
|
|
|
US$524mil museum and the shortage of funds for heritage preservation
|
|
18/09/2012 09:20:34
|
|
|
|
First News withdraws comic books ‘Why’
|
|
18/09/2012 09:17:50
|
|
|
|
Vietnam, Japan hold friendship music concert
|
|
18/09/2012 09:02:22
|
|
|
|
The craft of jewellery making in Chau Khe
|
|
18/09/2012 08:58:37
|
|
|
|