Northstar

SPECIAL REPORT: Vietnam www.travelweeklyweb.com Kris Panya, director of Sales and Marketing, Sea Links Beach Hotel, Mui Ne – Phan Thiet. be one of the beach destinations for tourists from Europe and the Americas seeking respite from winter. In fact, Vietnam's beaches are Asia's best kept secrets. Nha Trang is expected to rival the likes of Bali, Boracay, Krabi, Koh Samui and Phuket as one of the region's premier beach destinations. So said Do Thi Thu, area sales director, Six Senses Hideaway Ninh Van Bay & Evason Ana Mandara at Nha Trang. The group already has the f irst mover advantage with the presence of two world class brands Six Senses Ninh Van Bay & Evason Ana Mandara, which they believe will help elevate the status of the province. These two properties in Nha Trang were big winners at the recently concluded 2010 Tourism Alliance Awards held in September at Ho Chi Minh City. Another fast developing province is Phan Thiet. Said Kris Panya, director of Sales and Marketing, Sea Links Beach Hotel, Mui Ne – Phan Thiet "Visitors to Vietnam are not only streaming to the major cities, but increasingly to the other developing provinces as well. Phan Thiet, where Sea Links is for example has seen an infl ux in visitors. With our Sea Links Golf Course and our sparkling new Sea Links Beach Hotel, we are well- placed to capitalize on this growth." Aggressive upgrading current tourism infrastructure In order to facilitate tourism growth in the other provinces, the necessary infrastructure must be in place, as visitors to the other provinces come from two main gateways, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. To this extent, the Vietnam government has realised this and is currently in the process of upgrading its tourism infrastructure to cater to the expected boom in tourism. The Long Thanh International Airport is estimated to open just outside Ho Chi Minh City in 2015, with the capacity to handle five times the number of fl ight traffi c, compared to the current Tan Son Nhat Airport. A rail line and highway will eventually country. The entry of Ibis is also expected to lend its hand to the business travellers market, as not all international and local business travellers come with the budgets to stay in fi ve star hotels. All these developments serve to increase the potential of Vietnam as an attractive MICE venue to DMOs and event organizers. Said Rosalind Ng, MD, IIR Exhibitions Pte Ltd, one of the largest exhibitions organizers in Singapore, "Vietnam is one of the countries in Asia that is developing facilities in order to keep abreast with the competition. Caravelle Hotel and Sofitel Saigon Plaza are just two examples of hotels looking to refurbish their proper t ies . Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers on the other hand has just completed their upgrading works. Dietmar Kielnhofer, general manager of Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers commented, "Tourism arrivals in Vietnam is expected to increase drastically over the next five years, with the bulk of it coming to Ho Chi Minh City. In anticipation of this expected spike in room demand for both the luxury and business segment , we have just f inished upgrading our new wing, Sheraton Saigon Towers to increase our capacity." Sea Links Phan Thiet Sand Dunes. connect the airport with the city center, to ensure accessibility. In addition, subway and rail lines are also in the works for Ho Chi Minh City. The fi rst lines are scheduled to be completed in 2014, with a six-line system becoming fully functional by 2020. Business and not just leisure travellers Despite all the hype towards the development of the leisure tourism market in Vietnam being developed. The growth of the Business Traveller and MICE industry in the country has been largely under the radar. In Ho Chi Minh City, the brand new Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC), which only recently opened its doors, is largest and most modern MICE facility in the 6 | ■ TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA | 14 DECEMBER 2010 rapidly with good opportunities for business. The MICE Industry has seen much growth in the past year and it is expected to double in the number of events to be held in Vietnam for the next two to three years. Industries such as tourism, entertainment , building and construction, transportation infrastructure, and even maritime are all rapidly growing simultaneously. By next year, we would have increased the number of our exhibitions in Vietnam by more than 50 percent since 2009." Existing players to upgrade facilities With all the new developments taking place in the country, it is little wonder that existing players in the market are looking to upgrade their Dietmar Kielnhofer, general manager of Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers. Role of Travel Trade Exhibitions in the country Wi th the cur rent st ate of f lux in the country, travel trade exhibitions in Vietnam itself have even more important roles to play than before. Said Cheah Wai Hong, exhibitions director of ITE HCMC 2011, Exhibitions such as ITE HCMC provide a market space for both buyers and sellers in the tourism industry to meet , have concrete business discussions and conclude business deals during and after the event. The travel, tourism and hospitality landscape in Vietnam are evolving, with each year expecting to be a totally different experience altogether. James Chen is the Market ing Manager of IIR Exhibitions Pte Ltd www.travelweeklyweb.com

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