HCM City-based tour operator Viet Excursions welcomed 3,200 foreign cruise passengers in Ha Long, Nha Trang and HCM City on Monday.
Cruise ship Queen Mary II of the Cunard line brought in 2,500 passengers, mostly from England, the US and Australia to Nha Trang. As the 1,132ft long ship is too big to drop anchor at Nha Trang Port, the travel firm agency used small boats to take tourists around Nha Trang Bay before it left for Thailand the same day.
Seven hundred other passengers came on two cruise ships, Silver Whisper, which docked in HCM City, and SeaBorne Pride that dropped an anchor in Ha Long Bay.
Viet Excursion also received SilverSpirit in Hai Phong on Wednesday and organised a Viet Nam tour for 2,600 passengers on board yesterday.
ASEAN considers single visa option
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is working on a plan that would open the region to foreign tourists in the same way as Europe with a unified visa system and streamlined travel arrangements. When the plan is realised, travellers will be able to travel through all 10 ASEAN member nations on a single tourist visa.
"You would just have to apply for one visa and you could then visit all the countries using that visa," said Eddy Krisneidi, an official at the Jakarta-based ASEAN Secretariat, which recently released its Tourism Strategic Plan for the next five years.
ASEAN countries recorded more than 65 million foreign visitor arrivals in 2009. Malaysia led the field, followed by Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Viet Nam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Brunei.
Mobile users vote for Ha Long Bay
NewOpenWorld, organiser of the vote for seven new natural wonders of the world, is now allowing the public to vote through their mobile phones.
To vote for Viet Nam's Ha Long Bay, voters should dial +1 649 339 8080 and press 7712, the code for Ha Long Bay. The vote is successful if voters press the code after hearing a dialogue in English and the bell.
Ha Long currently ranks the fourth among 28 candidates. The winners will be announced on November 11, 2011.
Those interested can also vote for Ha Long Bay on the www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/vote website.
Voting for the seven new natural wonders of the world began in 2007.
Tour agencies seek French market
Local tour operator La Palanche Voyages, Luxury Travel, Viet Nam Originale and Cle Voyage participated in the 2011 Le Monde Paris (MAP) International Tourism Fair that was held from March 17-20. Director of La Palanche Voyages Nguyen Xuan Hai said his company considers France a strategic market and wished to directly introduce its services to French as well as European holidaymakers.
This year's fair highlighted special festivals from different countries throughout the world, such as the carnivals in Brazil, Belgium and the northern region of France; harvest festivals of Croatia, Spain, Turkey and Greece; and water festival of Myanmar.
The four-day fair, which presented travel products and services of well-known travel firms, hotels and restaurants in more than 500 booths, attracted over 100,000 visitors. — VNS