HÀ NỘI — The tourism sector must apply digital transformation to secure sustainable development, according to dozens of participants at a forum on the topic held in Hà Nội on May 18. Titled "Green Light for Tourism to Take Off Part 2: Digital Transformation: Diving Force for Sustainable Development", the forum gathered dozens of experts from State management agencies, tourism authorities, localities, and IT. The first part of the forum held in March focused on opening doors to international tourists. Hoàng Quang Phòng, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce Industry, said at the end of 2018, the Prime Minister issued Decision No 1671/QĐ-TTg approving the “Master plan on applying informatics technology in the tourism field for 2018-2020, with orientation to 2025.” “Informatics technology has been applied in various tourism companies, especially hotels, resorts and big travel agencies,” Phòng said. A visitor uses a remote guide app on her mobile at the National … [Read more...] about Forum held on digital transformation for sustainable tourism
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Top 35 contestants of Miss Tourism Vietnam Global show beauty in swimsuits
The organizing committee of Miss Tourism Vietnam Global has released a set of photos of the 35 best contestants stunning in swimsuits as the contest draws near to the finale. Inspired by the nature and tourism potential of Vietnam’s forests and seas, the swimsuit collection was made with golden as the main color in order to highlight the distinct beauty and charm of each contestant, according to the organizing committee. In its maiden organization, the Miss Tourism Vietnam Global beauty pageant looks to find a talented beauty who will be responsible for promoting Vietnam’s tourism to the world. The winner will be given the crown valued at VND3 billion (US$130,000). The contest has attracted many promising candidates who have made multiple changes to perfect themselves in terms of appearance and skills during the course of the competition. A contestant of Miss Tourism Vietnam Global dons a swimsuit. Photo: Miss Tourism Vietnam Global The organizing board … [Read more...] about Top 35 contestants of Miss Tourism Vietnam Global show beauty in swimsuits
Coastal province launches beauty contest to promote tourism
More than 400 Vietnamese women aged 18 to 27 have signed up for the first Miss Sea Tourism Việt Nam 2022 competition launched in Nha Trang City, Khánh Hòa Province. The event is part of the province’s efforts to promote tourism recovery this year. Photo courtesy of the organiser NHA TRANG — The first Miss Sea Tourism Việt Nam 2022 pageant, held in Nha Trang City, has attracted the participation of more than 400 young aspirants. The contest is part of Khánh Hòa Province's efforts to boost tourism recovery this year. From the aspirants aged 18 to 27 and at least 1.60m tall, 20 candidates will be shortlisted for the semifinal round to be held on Champa Island in Nha Trang from July 7 to 9. The contestants will compete in the categories of traditional costumes, swimsuits, question-and-answer sessions and evening wear. They will also take part in two additional competitions highlighting their work in promoting tourist activities in Khánh Hòa. Ten finalists will vie for the … [Read more...] about Coastal province launches beauty contest to promote tourism
Removing COVID-19 testing requirement a fillip for outbound tourism
Visitors look into outbound tour options from leading travel operators at the 18th HCM City Tourism Festival. VNA/VNS Photo by Mỹ Phương HCM CITY — Travel operators are strongly promoting international travel this summer after Việt Nam dropped the COVID-19 test requirement for arrivals. Trần Đoàn Thế Duy, general director of Vietravel Tourism Company, told the Người Lao Động (Labourer) Newspaper that cancellation of the COVID-19 test requirement for foreign arrivals had opened up a great opportunity for Việt Nam’s tourism industry. He said his company had signed agreements with the Singapore Tourism Board, Tourism Authority of Thailand and Korea Tourism Organisation to develop tours with preferential prices for Vietnamese tourists. Vietravel is selling tours to countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The most favoured destinations are Singapore and Thailand. Tours to Indonesia, Korea, Europe, the US and South Africa are also catching attention. The TST Tourist Service … [Read more...] about Removing COVID-19 testing requirement a fillip for outbound tourism
Strict visa policies hinder international guests from visiting Vietnam
Because of strict visa policies, promotions to attract international tourists have not been as effective as expected, according to many businesses. Enterprises have made huge investments to welcome back tourists, but such illogical visa policies may slow down the tourism recovery pace. Being confused and facing difficulties Many travel companies in Da Nang City told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that visa policies for foreign tourists were still their biggest concern. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Vietnam offered the visa waiver policy for citizens of many countries and the normal visa approval period was three to five days (visas which were valid for 30 days). However, the list of countries whose citizens are entitled to Vietnam’s visa waiver policy has been shortened and the visa processing period has been lengthened, putting enterprises at a disadvantage. Cao Tri Dung, chairman of the Da Nang Tourism Association, said that after the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of … [Read more...] about Strict visa policies hinder international guests from visiting Vietnam
Taking the right approach to the condotel legislation conundrum
Kenneth Atkinson-Vice chairman, Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board However, there is no separate body of law governing condotels and in most locations where they have been constructed it is clear that such developments cannot be issued with pink books for individual units, so ownership ultimately rests with the developers, with a lease term not extending beyond 50 years (70 years can be permitted). In addition, many buyers have been lured by guaranteed returns of 8-12 per cent for the 10 years. Warnings of potential future problems sounded from 2017, but due to the cyclical nature of tourism and potential disruptions to inbound tourists, these were largely ignored and we have already seen failures of such projects like Cocobay and other developers now unable to meet their guaranteed return commitments and for certain several more to come. Now, we have around 240 tourism real estate projects and over 114,000 condotel units, and Vietnam has the largest pipeline of tourism-related … [Read more...] about Taking the right approach to the condotel legislation conundrum