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| Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu (middle) receives the World MICE Tourism Award. |
The reputable award demonstrates the Vietnamese city’s capabilities and attractiveness as a leading destination for MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) tourism, whilst simultaneously elevating its position in the international arena.
"We are very proud to receive this reputable award as it has recognized the tireless efforts made by the local tourism industry,” said Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism.
She emphasised that the city strives to become a leading destination in Asia and elevate its image as an open, youthful, and livable city by 2030.
The award also marks an important milestone in fulfilling these goals, as well as reflecting the international community's trust in the city's tourism potential, she stressed.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism commits to improving MICE infrastructure and services as it strives to host additional international events, and at the same time elevate its leading position in the regional and global tourism map, she said.
For his part, Graham Cooke, founder and president of the World Travel Awards, described the vibrant southern metropolis as a special destination which boasts a rich history and culture, thereby serving as a regional and global MICE tourism hub in the future.
The goal of becoming a global tourism hub will act as a driving force in attracting more high-class corporations and tourism brands moving forward, he noted.
Azamara Journey brings over 1,000 foreign visitors to Da Nang
The Azamara Journey cruise ship docked at Tien Sa port in the coastal city of Da Nang on March 5, bringing more than 1,000 international tourists to the heritage land of Vietnam, reported VOV.
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| The Azamara Journey cruise ship docks at Tien Sa port, Da Nang city, on March 5. (Photo: sggp.org.vn) |
Upon arrival in Da Nang, the visitors, mainly from the UK, United States, Germany and China, were given the chance to explore many of the famous local tourist attractions such as the Cham Museum, Han market, the Marble Mountain scenic area, Linh Ung pagoda, and My Khe beach.
Meanwhile, Tien Sa port also welcomed the international cruise ship Seabourn on March 6, with an additional 500 British, French, and American tourists on board.
The two ships are scheduled to leave Da Nang at 6 p.m. on March 6.
Da Nang is scheduled to welcome 12 more cruise ships throughout March and April that are expected to bring about 16,000 foreign travelers to the central city.
Last year saw Da Nang receive a total of 22 international cruise liners with 18,000 arrivals on board, and the figures are expected to double this year.
Visit Vietnam Year - Dien Bien 2024 - a boost for tourism industry
Visit Vietnam Year - Dien Bien 2024, themed “Glorious Dien Bien – Infinite Experiences” is expected to be a leverage to boost the local socio-economy, contributing to promoting the country's tourism development, VNA cited the saying Vice Chairman of the Dien Bien provincial People's Committee Vu A Bang.
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The Hanoi Travel Association and VGreen Sustainable Tourism Club organise tours to Dien Bien.
(Photo: hanoimoi.vn) |
The province will host 28 out of 169 programmes and activities throughout the year, Bang said.
The highlight of the year is the Ban (Bauhinia) Flower Festival which is scheduled to take place on March 16, he said, adding that there will be also a special art programme and a high-altitude fireworks display on May 6 evening and a ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory on May 7.
Besides cultural tourism resources associated with key relic sites in the locality such as the headquarters of Dien Bien Phu - Muong Phang Campaign, A1, C1, D1 and E1 hills and the central area of the French stronghold, Dien Bien province is creating a highlight for the northwest region with various new tourism products, exploiting the strength of natural resources.
The provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that in recent years, Dien Bien has worked with many travel agencies to building new tourism products with regional linkages, such as Caravan (self-driving tour) on Hanoi - Son La - Dien Bien route and Ban flower season tour.
Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Travel Association Phung Quang Thang suggested said that Dien Bien province needs to soon connect with travel agencies to have a strategy for promoting local tourism products to exploit the large tourist flow.
According to head of the Travel Department at the UNESCO Travel Club, Director of VietSense Travel Company Nguyen Van Tai, from this month, tourists booking services to Dien Bien will increase, including a large number of tourists in Hanoi. To let tourists to have a longer experience, Dien Bien province needs to strengthen links with provinces in the northwest region, building interline tourism products starting from Hanoi.
Responding to Visit Vietnam Year - Dien Bien 2024, as well as welcoming the number of tourists coming to this province, airlines have increased flights from Hanoi to Dien Bien. National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has doubled its frequency to two flights a day on the route connecting the capital city of Hanoi and the northwestern province of Dien Bien from March 6 to 30. Vietjet airline has opened a direct flight between Hanoi and Dien Bien from March 1.
Visit Vietnam Year - Dien Bien 2024, which will open on March 16, is expected to attract a large number of tourists to Dien Bien. The locality aims to receive 1.3 million visitors and raked 2.2 trillion VND (89.32 million USD) from tourism.
According to Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy said that Visit Vietnam Year - Dien Bien 2024 will be a boost not only for the local tourism sector, but also contribute to enhance the attractiveness of Vietnam tourism to international visitors. Thus, it is necessary for Dien Bien province to quickly overcome shortcomings in terms of infrastructure, accommodations, and human resources and conduct dissemination campaign so that ethnic communities can join in the event, luring more domestic and foreign tourists to Dien Bien in particular and Vietnam in general, she said.
Vietnam seeking to diversify sports tourism experiences
According to VNA, Vietnam boasts a lot of advantages to develop sports tourism and is taking measures to promote this type of tourism - one of the fastest growing segments in the industry, with an estimated value of about 800 billion USD globally.
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| Bicycle tour exploring Ninh Binh province (Photo: nhandan.vn) |
Recently, more and more sports clubs have been established, and tournaments organised, attracting a large number of both domestic and foreign sports lovers.
Prominent among them are VnExpress Amazing Marathon, Ha Long Heritage Marathon, Da Lat Ultra Trail, Hoi An International Marathon, and paragliding festival “Fly over the golden season”.
These sports activities have created a special "catalyst" that helps enhance the image recognition and competitiveness of local tourism.
Nguyen Cong Hoan, General Director of Flamingo Redtours which has successfully organised many sports tours taking tourists to watch major football tournaments such as Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup, said that currently, travel companies are exploiting three popular forms of sports tours: those for tourists to cheer and watch tournaments such as football and tennis; those for participants in sports activities such as golf, marathon and trekking; and those with sports activities for organisations, agencies and businesses.
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| Paragliding festival “Fly over the golden season” (Photo: VNA) |
According to experts, to turn sports tourism into a key product, it is important to have thorough research and long-term orientations to build and upgrade infrastructure, and improve the transport system and specific technical facilities in a more professional and modern direction so as to meet requirements of different forms of sports tourism.
It is also necessary to have an early and methodical promotion strategy as well as dynamism to increase opportunities to host international events.
Nowadays, tourists in general and sports tourists in particular appreciate different experiences when participating in tours. Therefore, Director of Vietfoot Travel Pham Duy Nghia said that in addition to providing quality services and ensuring safety, sports tourism products also need to bring new experiences to visitors./.