HA NOI — A tourism promotion seminar was recently held in the former Myanmar capital of Yangon, according to the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism. Participants in the seminar introduced some of the strengths in tourism of each country, including eco-tourism and religious tourism in Myanmar, and beach resorts in Viet Nam. They also discussed ways to diversify tours, lower prices, increase service quality and lure more visitors.
The delegates also discussed ways of overcome difficulties relating to visas, language, electronic payments and credit cards, and the establishment of tourism entities in Myanmar.
Myanmar's Minister of Hotels and Tourism, Soe Naing, said that country was willing to co-operate with Viet Nam to remove barriers for mutual benefit and support tourism enterprises.
Vietnam Airlines launched its first direct flight from Ha Noi to Yangon in March. The new service, using a Fokker 70 aircraft, includes four flights a week, expected to increase to five per week later this year, when a HCM City-Yangon route would also begin service.
U Phyoe Wai Yar Zar, vice chairman of the Myanmar Marketing Committee, predicted the new routes would boost Myanmar's tourist arrivals.
"It will also increase connectivity with the member states of ASEAN and potentially boost arrivals from third countries," he said.
Tony Pham Ha, the owner and chief executive of Ha Noi-based Luxury Travel, said his company had already received a number of bookings for package tours to Myanmar.
"Luxury Travel is one of the first companies in Viet Nam to promote tours to Myanmar and develop niche tourism products for both Vietnamese and Western travelers who want to discover this mystical land from Ha Noi," Ha said.
"We are also working with tour operators and travel agents from Myanmar to promote Viet Nam," he added. "We would like them to do a familiarisation trip to see the highlights of our country – the cities, beaches and world heritage sites, such as Ha Long Bay."
According to the Myanmar tourism authority, the country attracted nearly 1,900 Vietnamese travellers in 2009, up from more than 1,000 in 2008. — VNS