3:55:03 PM | 24/10/2008
Vietnamese travel firms will take part in the World Travel Market (WTM) fair in London, the United Kingdom, from November 10 to 13, Vietnam Economic Times newspaper reported.
Visitors will have the opportunity to explore various tourism services available in the communist country such as ecotourism, countryside tourism, sea tourism, adventure tourism and cultural tourism as well as its special culinary, said the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) October 21.
Information updates on a series of major tourism events to be hosted by the country in 2009, including the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF 09), the Year of Central Highlands Tourism, the Da Lat Flower Festival and activities in the lead up to the 1,000th anniversary of Hanoi-Thang Long will be also available at the annual fair.
Worthy of note is the ATF 09 that will be held in Vietnam for the first time, expecting to draw 1,500 foreign delegates, including those from 400 travel firms in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
The future event is seen as a valuable chance for the country to introduce its land, people and culture to international holidaymakers and partners.
According to the General Statistics Office, Vietnam welcomed 315,000 foreign tourists in September, bringing the total number in the first nine months of the year to 3.3 million, up 5.8 per cent over the same period of 2007. China topped the list of foreign tourists to Vietnam, followed by the Republic of Korea.
The sun warm Southeastern Asian nation hopes to attract five million foreign tourists and serve 21 million domestic holiday makers to yield VND64 trillion (US$4 billion) in 2008.
The tourism sector now contributes 8 per cent to Vietnam’s national GDP. (Vietnam Economic Times)
Vietnamese
