Travel News Jetstar opens air route between Thanh Hoa and Buon Ma Thuot Low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific on February 3 officially launched a new air route between the central province of Thanh Hoa and Buon Ma Thuot in Central Highlands Dak Lak province. The airline conducts two round flights using 180-seat Airbus 320 per week on every Tuesday and Thursday. The flights are scheduled to take off at 8:25am from Buon Me Thuat and 10:45am from Thanh Hoa. The flight takes 1 hour and 30 minutes each way. So far, over 2,000 passengers have booked tickets on the route with fares ranging from 550,000 VND (26 USD) to 2.3 million VND (108 USD). The route aims to meet the increasing demand of travelers, especially on the occasion of the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays which fall in mid-February.- HCM City targets 4.7 million of international arrivals Ho Chi Minh City has set a target of welcoming 4.7 million international arrivals and raking in 94.6 trillion VND (4.43 billion USD) in total revenue in 2015, according to the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. To meet the target, the city continues raise its image as a friendly, attractive and safe destination and promote sustainable tourism growth by creating changes in service quality and tourism products. Apart from accommodating 17.6 million domestic tourists, the city welcomed 4.4 million international vacationers in 2014, accounting for 56 percent of the total foreign arrivals to Vietnam. It earned a turnover of over 86 trillion VND (4,02 billion USD) last year. Kien Giang to have more hotel rooms for tourists The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Kien Giang Province said many more hotels will be put into service to meet the surging   demand of tourists flocking to destinations in the Mekong Delta province. Nguyen Van Sau, deputy director of the department, said the number of hotel rooms is forecast to reach 7,750 rooms at 370 hotels this year, with 12 three- to five-star hotels located on Phu Quoc Island, and in Rach Gia City and Ha Tien Town. Sau said hotel investments had increased sharply in the 2011-2014 period. The province had 4,600 guest rooms in 2011 but the number rose to 6,320 last year. In the four-year period, the Mekong Delta province welcomed around 18.12 million tourists and posted tourism revenue of more than VND6 trillion (over US$281 million) , according to the department. The respective annual increases in tourist arrivals and revenue were 10.7% and 12.7%. The latest figures of the department showed that nearly 873,500 foreigners visited the province in the four-year period, an annual growth of 11.3%. Sau credited the significant rise in the number of visitors to Kien Giang Province in the past years to attractive destinations in the province, especially its sea and island attractions. The province has invested more in infrastructure and accommodation projects. The province now has around 270 tourist sites, including beaches and islands including Hai Tac, Ba Lua and Nam Du. Kien Giang had attracted investments in over 160 tourism projects covering a total area of nearly 6,530 hectares between 2011 and 2014. By the end of September last year, the province had 243 valid projects on a total area of 8,000 hectares, with 37 of them put into operation. Hala Abu Dhabi teams up with local travel firms Vietnamese passengers will get multiple benefits when visiting Abu Dhabi City in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as Hala Abu Dhabi, the destination management arm of Etihad Airways, has begun joining forces with travel agencies in Vietnam. Etihad Airways said in a statement that its business unit has clinched cooperation deals with Vietravel, PTG Travel, Blue Sky Travel, Hong Ngoc   Ha, Gia Huy and TransViet Travel to promote Abu Dhabi as a stopover for passengers when they transit in the UAE city. These are six of the 45 cooperation agreements signed by Hala Abu Dhabi with key tour operators in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia to promote the destination as part of a major program of Etihad Airways. The program allows passengers from Vietnam and the other foresaid countries to enjoy privileges with hotel accommodation, visa exemption and golf benefits in Abu Dhabi before continuing their journeys. First class passengers can spend two nights at a five-star hotel in Abu Dhabi while business class is offered one complimentary night. Those who transit in Abu Dhabi from six to 12 hours can play at a nine-hole golf course or pool at Yas Links until their next flights. Representatives of travel agencies have come to Abu Dhabi City for training courses on new services in the destination. Jetstar launches four new routes before Tet Jetstar Pacific has announced the launch of four new air routes connecting HCMC and the central and northern regions ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday (Tet) to meet surging air travel demand. Jetstar Pacific kicked off HCMC-Dong Hoi and HCMC-Quy Nhon services on Sunday, Buon Ma Thuot-Haiphong route on Monday and Thanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuot route on February 3. Initially, Jetstar Pacific has three weekly flights between HCMC and Dong Hoi on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and flies daily on the HCMC-Quy Nhon run. The airline will increase the number of flights when demand grows. Le Hong Ha, chief executive officer of Jetstar Pacific, said more than 15,000 passengers have booked seats on the airline’s flights from HCMC to the central cities of Dong Hoi and Quy Nhon. These are the first two air routes in Jetstar Pacific’s plan to connect different airports in Vietnam in the early months of this year. The carrier conducts three weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays on the Buon Ma Thuot-Haiphong route. Meanwhile, the airline will fly between Thanh Hoa and Buon Ma Thuot on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The airline will open the HCMC-Tuy Hoa route on March 30 with flights on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Jetstar Pacific currently operates domestic flights linking HCMC, Hanoi, Danang, Hue, Vinh, Thanh Hoa, Haiphong, Buon Ma Thuot, Dong Hoi, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon and Phu Quoc Island of mainland Kien Giang Province. It now offers international flights to Singapore, Thailand and Macau, and will launch Hanoi-Bangkok service on March 29. HCM City upgrades roads leading to Tan Son Nhat airport The government of HCMC has begun work on a project to upgrade the pavements of three roads leading to Tan Son Nhat International Airport at a total cost of over VND114 billion (US$5.4 million). A representative of Urban Traffic Management Unit No. 1 said the upgrade project is being implemented on Tran Quoc Hoan, Truong Son and   Phan Thuc Duyen streets with a total length of 1.8 kilometers. This project is scheduled for completion before the Lunar New Year holiday (Tet). Under the project, the pavements will be covered with granite tiles, and the trees along the streets will be replanted. The city is investing in a new lighting system and expanding the roads and pavements in the area to cope with traffic congestion. According to Urban Traffic Management Unit No. 1, the road surface and concrete pavements will be completed ahead of Tet. The entire project is slated for completion by April 30. Vietnam Airlines carries apricot, peach blossoms for Tet The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will transport apricot and peach blossoms for the upcoming lunar New Year Festival (Tet) on domestic flights from now until February 28. A passenger will be allowed to check in with one branch of apricot or peach blossoms, measuring maximum 150cm x 40cm x 40cm as a special ‘Luggage Consignment Service’. Transportation fees will cost around VND275, 000-440,000. Passengers must register to transport apricot and peach blossoms at least 3 hours before departure time. The low-cost airline Vietjet will also transport apricot and peach blossoms for Tet from January 15 to March 5. Transportation fee will be VND400, 000. Passengers can register on the website www.Vietjet.com and the carrier’s booking offices or agents nationwide. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT