Northstar

ATTRACTIONS www.travelweeklyweb.com Eyes on Vietnam's Central Coast DANANG – The Central Coast of Vietnam has caught the attention of three major airlines, which recently launched services to Danang while tourism officials work on a direct connection between Bangkok and the fast emerging beach destination. Vietnam Airlines' service to Danang from Seoul and Siem Reap was launched in July this year, mirroring expansions made earlier in the year by Dragonair from Hong Kong and Shanghai Airlines. Due to the overwhelming demand for tickets in April and May, Dragonair added a fourth flight to its weekly Hong Kong-Danang schedule in July. "The Central Coast has never been as accessible as it is right now," said Louk Lennaerts, chairman of Central Coast Vietnam, a destination marketing organisation comprised of the area's premier hotels, resorts and golf clubs. "But Danang's new Vietnam's central coast is fast catching up with the likes of Bali and Phuket as the preferred beach destination airport has the capacity to handle more traffic, and we're working to open those runways." Later this month, Central Coast Vietnam representatives and members of Vietnam's Department of Culture, Sports & Tourism will conduct a roadshow to Bangkok in hopes of reopening a connection between Danang and Thailand's capital, which in May became the world's most popular tourist destination according to data compiled by MasterCard. The Danang-Bangkok route was served by Thailand's PB Air from 2007 until 2009, when the carrier ceased operations. Other airlines currently offering international service to Vietnam's third largest city include China Eastern Airlines (from Beijing), China Southern Airlines (from Shenzhen) and SilkAir (from Singapore), which in March introduced a sixth weekly flight. Korean Air and Asiana Airlines also fly to Danang (from Seoul), which is fast emerging as a long-stay alternative to Bali and Phuket for its proximity to vast, white-sand beaches, three UNESCO World Heritage sites (Hoi An, Hue and My Son), three new golf courses designed by the game's biggest names (Nick Faldo, Greg Norman and Colin Montgomerie) and an increasing number of international fivestar beach resorts. LEGOLAND Malaysia turns one NUSAJAYA – Come September 15, 2013, Asia's first LEGOLAND will turn one. LEGOLAND Malaysia will be extending celebratory activities to its visiting guests. Among the highlights is the LEGO cake building session which took off on September 5th, and will run till September 14, 2013. The LEGO cake will comprise of over 300,000 bricks and measure three metres wide. Visitors will also get to celebrate with activities planned out for the entire month, starting September 7, 2013, with carnivallike siesta that involves jugglers, stilt walkers, unicyclists and magic shows, on top of the LEGO building challenges. "We are very excited about the first anniversary celebrations. It has been a hugely successful year for LEGOLAND Malaysia. In the last twelve months we have 12 | ■ TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA | SEPTEMBER 2013 The 300,000 brick LEGO cake added two new attractions and we will also be opening our brand new Water Park in October this year. We have also achieved high visitor satisfaction and we will continue our efforts to ensure we remain a favourite Park among families in Asia," said general manager of LEGOLAND Malaysia, Siegfried Boerst. Those renewing their annual passes now will enjoy extra validity until December 2014 if their current ones expire in September, October, November or December 2013. The LEGOLAND Water Park will open on October 21, 2013, and have more than 20 water rides and over 70 LEGO models making LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort the perfect family day out. For more on the celebrations, visit www.legoland.com.my www.travelweeklyweb.com

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