Sep
11
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ASEAN nations promote tourism in city
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According to organizers, Cambodia and Myanmar will introduce their heritage tourism products, while the products of Vietnam and Laos focus on sea tourism and ecotourism respectively. The four countries will bring to the expo their typical products and jointly promote to attract international tourists.
Nguyen Van Tuan, general director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), said at a press conference in HCMC on Thursday that the tourism ministers of the four countries would meet at the expo to discuss tourism cooperation.
After that, mayors of cities in the Greater Mekong Sub-region, including Phnom Penh, Vientiane, Yangon, Bangkok and HCMC, will also meet in the city and promote tourism cooperation between the four countries and the Mekong Sub-region with specific activities to create competitiveness in the area.
“Through previous travel expos, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar have had several joint tourism promotion programs. But now we want to expand the scale and cooperate with countries of the Mekong Sub-region to create a greater competitiveness,” said Tuan.
The expo will take place at Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in District 7 from Thursday until next Saturday.
According to organizers, the expo will feature 233 booths of travel firms and hotels from 19 nations and 26 local tourism promotion agencies. Around 200 customers from 33 markets will buy international tourism services and meet partners at the expo.
In addition to meetings for travel firms, the expo will include programs for tourists.
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Sep
11
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Raffles Hotel Le Royal Phnom Penh
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For most tourists, a trip to Cambodia begins and ends in Siem Reap. While the amazing history of Angkor Wat is certainly a must for every traveller to see at least once in a lifetime, Cambodia is a country on the rise with appeal in other parts of the country as well. The capital, Phnom Penh, is experiencing rapid growth; for now, the low-rise cityscape is punctuated by only a few skyscrapers, but this will change as time goes on.
Travellers who are looking for an Asian experience recalling a more relaxed pace of life in the less frenetic times will enjoy a stay at Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh's premier hotel. The Raffles expertise in recreating the genteel ambience of times past is especially appropriate in this city, and the property is certainly an excellent base for exploring such sights as the National Museum Of Cambodia, the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda, and Wat Phnom, located just a few hundred metres from the hotel. Phnom Penh's lively riverfront restaurant and bar scene is close enough to be convenient but far enough not to be disruptive when at home in the hotel.
Now supplemented by a wing added in the 1990s, the original building's historic Personality Suites are named for other famous guests who have visited, including Mrs Onassis, French writer André Malraux, Charles de Gaulle, and Somerset Maugham. Regardless of location within the hotel, all accommodation reflects the history of the city in a chic and comfortable style.
First opened in 1929, Raffles Hotel Le Royal has seen some of the world's most famous people pass through its doors. One of them was Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, for whom the hotel's signature drink, the Femme Fatale, was invented. A special set of glasses with a unique shape was created for the Femme Fatale, which is a blend of champagne, cognac, and creme de cassis; the hotel's legendary Elephant Bar still serves the drink in glasses of the same shape used for Femme Fatales and no other drink. Another US First Lady recently stayed at Raffles Le Royal, though in her capacity as US Secretary Of State, Hilary Clinton had less time for sightseeing than did Jackie O.
No one should pass up a visit to Raffles' spa to take up the opportunity for a Khmer massage, which incorporates pressure-point stimulation into a treatment that also includes gentle stretching and muscle movement that leaves the beneficiary with surprising reinvigoration. Follow up a spa treatment with a fine dining experience at Le Royal, the hotel's deluxe restaurant, where the finest in Khmer and European cuisine is served to guests. Khmer cuisine is a superb balance of distinctly fresh and flavoursome ingredients. As in Thailand, Cambodia has a special cuisine reserved for the royal family, and Le Royal is the only restaurant in the country authorised to prepare royal cuisine for its guests. Less formal but no less appealing is Café Monivong, where a bountiful buffet breakfast is served each morning. Lunch and dinner are also served here, though the Sunday Personality Brunch is perhaps the most famous of its meals.
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Sep
11
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Aviation helps regional growth take off
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The aviation industry, which has played an important role in economic development in the Asia Pacific region, will continue to do so but faces challenges, a senior international aviation official said at the South East Asia Airport Expansion Summit 2012 in HCM City.
"Significant investments are needed to meet the projected growth in demand, including fleet expansion using newer, more fuel efficient aircraft, more necessary aviation infrastructure with modern airports and air traffic management systems," Vinoop Goel, assistant director of the International Air Transport Association (IATA)'s Member & Government Relations said.
"Around $700 billion has been invested in the industry in the last 20 years but air travel at some airports is still "a mess," he added.
He urged all IATA members to enhance the passenger experience by offering them the ability to self boarding, self bag drop, and track bag location from mobile devices.
"Security systems should be upgraded as security checkpoints have slowed to a throughput of just 149 passengers per hour (compared with 350 prior to September 11, 2001)."
But he reminded the principles for airport investment: long-term view, optimising capital expenditure, focus on cost-efficiency, and consultations.
He gave out several key numbers for the aviation industry: "Economic footprint is estimated at US$2.2 trillion, or equivalent to 3.5 per cent of the world GDP.
"The industry generates a total of 56.6 million jobs globally with direct employment of over 8.4 million."
In 2010 the Asia Pacific accounted for 34 per cent of global traffic share with 780 million passengers. It had 1,207 commercial airports and 359 airlines, providing 24.1 million jobs and adding $470 billion to GDP.
This region is estimatedly increasing traffic by 3.9 per cent for and capacity by 3.3 per cent this year.
Around 600 airplanes were sold to the region this year out of a global total of 1,560.
By 2030 the regional industry hopes to triple the passenger number to over 2.2 billion and increase the cargo volume by 6.3 per cent per annum.
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Tourism sector needs skills standards
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11/09/2012 10:16:09
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HCM City hosts int’l tourism expo
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11/09/2012 09:50:45
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Russian businesses explore Ninh Thuan’s tourism potential
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11/09/2012 09:45:09
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Russian businesses explore Ninh Thuan’s tourism potential
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11/09/2012 09:33:45
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Photographic exhibition on Vietnam opens in France
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11/09/2012 09:32:13
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Vietnam Airlines cooperates with SNCF from France
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11/09/2012 09:30:37
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Action thriller fans get ready for a Premium Rush
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11/09/2012 09:28:21
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Legacies of War
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11/09/2012 09:23:29
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Pricey Kissho has the wow factor
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11/09/2012 09:21:47
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