Travel News 16/8 Direct flights help Danang tourism fly high International tourism to Danang city has picked up remarkably over the past two months thanks to the establishment of direct overseas air routes, said Tran Chi Cuong, deputy director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.   The reopening of air routes from China’s Hangzhou, Kunming, Chengdu and Xi’an to Danang in July and August and the launch of a new route linking Danang and Narita (Japan) will also help the city receive more visitors from these markets, Cuong said. Most notably, a direct route between Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Danang, set to resume in late August, holds tremendous prospects for an influx of tourists into the city. Tourism infrastructure has been upgraded to anticipate a boom in the number of tourists to the locality. Novotel Danang Premiere Han River Hotel is a case in point. General Manager Jean Paul Fontenile said he was very glad that his hotel has been recognised by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) as a five-star hotel with its modern facilities and good services. He pledged to strive to assist the city transform into an ideal travel destination for both business and tourists. Duong Thuy Duong, deputy director of Research and Consulting Department under CBRE Vietnam, said there are many positive signs the new air routes are helping to increase the market segment of foreign arrivals. This should not only enhance connectivity with traditional markets in Europe, the US and Australia, but should benefit other new markets like Japan, Thailand and North Europe, Duong said. Danang city targets to welcome 800,000 international visitors in 2014 and one million in 2015. Trang An tourism complex – a boost to Ninh Binh tourism The northern province of Ninh Binh is expecting a sustainable boost in tourism following the recognition of Trang An Tourism Complex in the province as a world cultural and natural heritage site by UNESCO in June this year. As of the end of July, the province welcomed nearly 3.5 million visitors. Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Bui Van Thang said in the future, the complex will serve as an important gateway to link destinations in Ninh Binh with those in the Red River Delta and the northern coastal region. Local authorities have built a heritage management plan in line with the instructions of the UNESCO, while working with the ministries of construction, culture, sport and tourism on a master plan for the complex, creating a legal ground for the management of activities relating to investment, construction, conservation and tourism. The province expects to join the 2015 National Tourism Year on the theme of connecting World Heritage sites in the country. Covering an area of over 6,000 hectares, Trang An consists of the Hoa Lu ancient citadel, Trang An-Tam Coc-Bich Dong natural scenic site, and the Hoa Lu primeval forest. The complex is often called Vietnam 's Ha Long Bay on land. The lyric and picturesque landscape of Trang An is a harmonic combination of mountains, valleys and lakes with numerous caves inside stunning limestone karst mountain ranges. Moreover, it is surrounded by primary forests with variety of floral and fauna systems, including 310 types of tracheophyta, over 30 animals, 50 types of birds, reptiles, especially rare animals like Capricornis sumatraensis, Neofelis nebulosa and white chest gibbon. The area is a cradle of civilisation of ancient Vietnam, and also used to house the ancient capital of Vietnam , Hoa Lu, more than 1,000 years ago. The site boasts 47 historical relics. Da Nang sees increasing number of visitors Since the beginning of August, the central city of Da Nang has seen a recovery in the number of tourists, compared with the two previous months, thanks to the resumption of several foreign flights and the opening of two new ones. In July, the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines reopened the chartered flight air route connecting the city and China’s Hangzhou with the frequency of two flights per week, according to Tran Chi Cuong, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Flights from China’s Xian, Kunming and Chengdu to the city were also resumed in August while a direct route linking with Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur is expected to offer services again later this month, he added. The launching of the Da Nang-Narita (Japan) direct air route and a domestic one to the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has also helped bring more visitors to Da Nang. To better its services, the city has paid much attention to upgrading tourism infrastructure and improving hotel service quality. Recently, Novotel Danang Premiere Han River was recognised the five-star hotel. Apart from its traditional markets such as China, the Republic of Korea and Russia, the tourism sector is eyeing new ones, including Japan, Thailand and North Europe, in order to obtain the target of welcoming more than 800,000 foreign tourists in 2014 and 1 million in the following year. In the first half of this year, Da Nang greeted more than 1.7 million tourist arrivals, up 15.8 percent from the same period last year. Of this, the number of foreigners topped 450,600, a year-on-year rise of 15.7 percent. Entry fare cut at Con Son – Kiep Bac Historical Area The entry fee to the famous Con Son – Kiep Bac Historical Area will be reduced by 10 per cent and the accommodation prices by five to 30 per cent, according to the area's management board. The cut was done to attract more people to the relics during the autumn season. There will also be free lectures to visiting groups. Con Son – Kiep Bac is in Chi Linh Town in the northern province of Hai Duong. It has many historical relics related to the life and careers of the national hero Tran Quoc Tuan and noted cultural figure Nguyen Trai. In addition, the area has numerous beautiful sightseeing spots. In mid-September, an autumn festival will be held in this area, featuring traditional games and performances. Northern province adds three ‘standard' tourist beaches Three more beaches in the northern province of Quang Ninh have been officially named as standard tourism beaches, according to new decisions released by the provincial People's Committee. Hoang Gia and Tuan Chau beaches in Ha Long City and Mai Quyen Beach in Van Don District have met the required standards, which include sufficient transport convenience, power supply, environmental cleanliness, and rescue equipment. The sand quality of beaches is another standard that has to be met. The province has six beaches that have met the requirement of standards. More trains from HCM City to run during holiday The Sai Gon Railway Passenger Transport Company said it would put more trains into operation between HCM City and Nha Trang, Quy Nhon or Phan Thiet during the Independence Day holiday on September 2. The increased capacity will last from August 28 to September 2. For this year's Independence Day, employees nation-wide will have four official days off, which is expected to increase transport demand. Visitors to Lao Cai Province increase 25 per cent Visitors to the northern province of Lao Cai increased by 25 per cent year-on-year in the first seven months of this year, according to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The department attributed the increase to tourism-stimulation programmes as well as more convenient transportation conditions, thanks to the new Noi Bai – Lao Cai Highway, which helps cut time by 50 per cent. The province, from now to the end of the year, will organise additional programmes to attract more visitors. It has also invested VND200 billion (US$9.5 million) to upgrade infrastructure to serve tourism demand in the 2014-16 period. In addition, it plans to open a new bus route south of Lao Cai City to Sa Pa, the border gate and several tourism areas. Lao Cai currently has 450 accommodation establishments, with a total of 5,400 rooms. HCM City’s room capacity increases Ho Chi Minh City has seen an increase of room capacity in 3-5 star hotels after a decrease in the number of tourists in May due to the East Sea situation. High-class hotels reached the average room capacity from 20-46 percent in May and June. The number is reported to continue rising in July and August. Vice director general of New World Saigon Hotel, Dang Huy Hai said that the hotel’ s room capacity is expected to attain 58-59 percent in August and gain 63 percent in September. Hotel operators hope to see a better growth in the 4th quarter when the tourism industry sees in the peak season. Source: SGT/VNS/VNA/VOV/VNN