#Vietnam named among world’s fastest growing travel destinations

American tourists walk on Bui Vien Street, a popular backpacker precinct in Saigon. 

Vietnam is the only Southeast Asian country among 10 world's fastest growing travel destinations, according to a United Nations report.

The country's tourism industry is moving in the right direction, and its 2018 visitor numbers rose at one of the fastest rates in the world, the 2019 Tourism Highlight report released by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) early this week said.

"In Southeast Asia, most destinations posted strong growth, particularly Vietnam. Outbound tourism from China and India fuelled growth in many destinations in the region."

Vietnam's foreign visitor numbers rose 19.9 percent to a record 15 million last year, putting it 10th in the list of fastest growers, which was topped by Ecuador with 51 percent. Iran was second with 49.9 percent and Egypt, third with 36.8 percent.

The rest of the top 10 were Uganda (31.9 percent), Comoros (28.2 percent), Nepal (24.8 percent), Slovenia (23.4 percent), Turkey (21.7 percent), and Palestine (20.5 percent).

 .

 .

  The report said France was the most visited country in 2018 with 89 million, followed by Spain and the U.S.

Thailand remained the region’s largest destination attracting around 38.2 million foreign arrivals.

The Asia-Pacific region had the second highest market share of 25 percent after Europe’s 51 percent. The Americas were third with 15 percent.

In the Asia-Pacific, growth was significant in Southeast and South Asia. Southeast Asia received 128.7 million visitors, a 7.8 percent increase, the highest rate in Asia.

"Growth in international tourist arrivals and receipts continues to outpace the world economy and both emerging and advanced economies are benefiting from rising tourism income," said Zurab Pololikashvili, secretary general of the UNWTO.

Tourism last year contributed 8.39 percent to Vietnam’s GDP. The government seeks to make the industry an economic spearhead.

 With visa waivers for several countries in Asia and Europe, the government expected to see around 20 million foreign visitors in 2020 and earn $35 billion in annual revenues by then, equivalent to 10 percent of GDP, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

Vietnam will become a leading travel destination in the next five years, the latest Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts report released by the Pacific Asia Travel Association said.

.

Source - VN Express

 

#Vietnam a top holiday draw in Southeast Asia

South China Morning Post has listed Vietnam among six Southeast Asian countries whose beauty is largely undiscovered.

The Hong Kong newspaper said "from stunning beaches and elephant sanctuaries to adventurous underwater activities, much of the region’s beauty has yet to be discovered" and Vietnam is recommended for those seeking "authentic travel experiences".

It described Hue, the country's ancient imperial capital that witnessed the glories and collapse of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), the last feudal rulers of Vietnam, as a must-visit place for more historical activities.

"Visitors can embark on tours to explore the old temples and pagodas that make up most of the city and explore central Vietnamese cuisine with a street food tour." 

To the north of Ho Chi Minh City is the mountain town of Da Lat where adventure lovers can indulge themselves with canyoneering, white water rafting and a high ropes course, it said.

Da Lat, situated 1,500 meters above sea level in the Central Highlands, was a summer getaway for French officials who built villas to escape the heat and humidity of the lowlands during colonial times. It is now a top holiday destination providing cool respite from the year-round hot weather.

.

.

"In the mountains northwest of Hanoi lies Sapa where nature lovers can embrace the serenity of the mountains with a tour to the Love and Silver waterfalls and the historic Cat Cat village," SCMP said.

Tourists can also visit the Saturday night "love market," the Gothic stone church at the town center which is a reminder of the French missionary influence. Cat Cat village, two kilometers from Sa Pa, is home to the H’Mong ethnic people.

The SCMP list also includes Thailand, where elephant sanctuaries for rehabilitation and enticing cooking classes await visitors, the Philippines, famous for its dolphin watching, paddle yoga and mountain biking, and Cambodia, which offers travelers a snorkeling tour to see bioluminescent marine life and scuba diving.

Myanmar "is home to shiny gems that are rarely visited," the newspaper said. It also has UNESCO heritage sites and centuries-old temples.

Laos, "often overlooked when it comes to travel within Southeast Asia," it said, urging holiday-goers to visit the town of Vang Vieng north of Vientiane to experience bike tours and zip lines in the hills, cave exploration and rock climbing.

.

Booking your Flight, Hotel or Resort now

.

Southeast Asia is composed of 11 countries, namely Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Earlier this year, British travel magazine Rough Guides included Hue in its list of six lesser-known Asian destinations.

The New York Times recently recommended Da Lat among 52 places to go in 2019, describing it as "an agricultural El Dorado" with unique scenes of pine forests, locally grown avocados, and artichoke tea.

Vietnam received 7.3 million visitors in January-May this year, up 8.8 percent from a year ago, putting the country on track to meet its annual target of 18 million arrivals this year, according to the General Statistics Office.

.

Sourse - VN Express
.

#Vietnam - Southeast Asia's longest cross-sea bridge to open shortly

.

The 5.4-km long bridge in Hai Phong to undergo tests on May 14. 

..

 The Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Bridge, the longest cross-sea bridge in Southeast Asia, will undergo a test run to check loading capacity on May 14, according to a report from local media.
.
The 5.4-km long bridge is part of the Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Highway project, which connects developing areas in the east of the northern port city of Hai Phong with Lach Huyen Port in the island district of Cat Hai and the Hanoi - Hai Phong Highway.
.
A source from the management board was quoted by the Vietnam News Agency as saying that 99.8 per cent of the work has been completed on the bridge section built by Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co. and Vietnam’s Civil Engineering Construction Corporation No.4 (Cienco 4). 

. 

FOR THE BEST GLOBAL HOTEL & FLIGHT BOOKINGS
.
Once the bridge is operational, traveling from Hai Phong city to Cat Hai Island will take about five minutes, compared to hours on ferries.
.
The Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Highway project has total investment of almost VND11.85 trillion ($525.3 million), the majority of which comes from Japanese official development assistance. Construction began in May 2014 and was scheduled to be completed this month.
.
The project is expected to form a complete transport network facilitating transportation to Lach Huyen International Port, thereby attracting investment to Hai Phong. 

.

.

Source - http://vneconomictimes.com/

Thai start-up wins place on Booking.com’s booster program

.

Booking.com recently announced the top 10 finalists for its Booster Program focusing on sustainable tourism and one of the lucky participants is Local Alike, a Thai online travel platform that provides travel experiences around Southeast Asia.

The aim of the programme is to identify, mentor and fund enterprising start-ups from around the world that are seeking to have a positive impact on the global tourism industry.

.

The 10 selected ventures will participate in a three-week program in June in Amsterdam that culminates with a chance to make a pitch to a panel of Booking.com and industry experts for grants of up to Bt19 million from Booking.com.

.

“We are so impressed with the amazing diversity and quality of applications that we received for the Booking.com Booster Program. The incredible passion and genuinely innovative business concepts we saw from start-ups from practically every corner of the globe was truly inspiring,” says Gillian Tans, CEO of Booking.com.

.

 “I can’t wait get to know these 10 start-ups better and see how we can help them to accelerate their growth plans in order to bring their vision for sustainable tourism to even more destinations around the world.”

.

Nearly 700 start-ups from 102 countries applied to the programme, Local Alike will be joined by other nine teams from the United States, India, the Netherlands, Russia and Italy.

.

Local Alike exists as two business entities: Local Alike Travel tour company operates community-based tourism tours in Thailand and soon across Southeast Asia and Local Alike website is a sustainable tourism online marketplace where travellers around the world can find local and authentic experiences.

.

“After four years in the business, we succeeded in developing 70 communities in Thailand and this year we are expanding into communities in Vietnam and India. What makes us unique is that we establish long-term partnerships with local communities. We bring in more income and educate them to optimise resources from tourism to further develop their societies. We encourage them to fix community issues from the root cause,” says Somsak Boonkam, founder of Local Alike. 

.

“What we are most excited about is to personally connect with other like-minded fellows from the other nine teams, as well as the team at Booking.com.” 

.

FOR THE BEST GLOBAL HOTEL & FLIGHT BOOKINGS

.