Visitors cruise into Sai Gon Port; Major new property planned for Da Nang; Viet Nam seeks to attract more Japanese; Hong Kong airline to launch new flights

With new new tours to Ha Long Bay, Ha Noi, Hue city, Da Nang, Hoi An and Nha Trang, Saigontourist has received more than 70,000 cruise tourists.

During their two-day stay, the tourists took cyclo tours, learned about Vietnamese culture by attending traditional music performances, weddings and even cooking classes at Ben Thanh Market. They also visited the Cu Chi Tunnels and My Tho City in the Mekong Delta.

With new new tours to Ha Long Bay, Ha Noi, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An and Nha Trang, Saigontourist has received more than 70,000 cruise tourists from China, Britain, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany and Austria over the past eight months, for a year-on-year increase of 80 per cent.

Major new property planned for Da Nang

Life Resorts has signed an agreement with Hoang Tra Travel and Trading Co for developing a 182-room property on Da Nang’s My Khe Beach next year. Located 3km from downtown Da Nang and 30km from Hoi An, the 10ha resort will be the largest of the developer’s managed properties in Viet Nam.

“After several years’ operation in nearby Hoi An, we’ve realised that we’ve only scratched the surface of travellers’ interest in central Viet Nam,” said Chris Duffy, general director of the Life Resorts. “There’s an incomparable depth of attraction, and density of attraction here, whether a traveler is seeking a profound cultural engagement with this country or a stint on the sands of its most renowned beaches.”

Viet Nam seeks to attract more Japanese

Tourism officials are planning new promotions to set right a slight drop in the number of Japanese visitors in the first seven months of this year. Vu The Binh, a senior official of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNPT), said last week that the number of Japanese visitors fell 3.7 per cent in the first seven months of 2008, prompting the new marketing effort. Last year Viet Nam received some 420,000 Japanese tourists for a year-on-year increase of 9 per cent.

Hong Kong airline to launch new flights

Hong Kong’s second largest carrier, Dragonair, will launch new flights from Hong Kong to Ha Noi on October 26.

The new daily flights will make Dragonair the fourth carrier to operate direct flights between Hong Kong and Viet Nam, following Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong Airlines and Vietnam Airlines.