East Sea tension not affecting Vietnam’s tourism

Tensions in the East Sea (South China Sea) have not affected the flow of international tourists to Vietnam, said Nguyen Manh Cuong, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), at an international conference held in Hanoi Wednesday.

“Vietnam is still a safe, friendly, and attractive destination, and the information that Vietnam does not welcome Chinese or Chinese-speaking tourist is completely false,” Cuong said.

The VNAT official said that in May and June, the number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam decreased compared to that in the period from January to April.

However, in the first half of 2014, the total number of Chinese visitors still increased by 34 percent compared to the same period in 2013 and the total number of international visitors to Vietnam increased by 21.11 percent.

He said the tourism authority would promote active measures to enhance security and safety, and improve tourism environment to better serve foreign tourists, including the establishment of tourist support centers and tourist guard forces.

The VNAT will hold field trips for foreign correspondents and travel agents from major markets like Japan, South Korea, Russia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, France, and the United States to learn about destinations and tourism environment in Vietnam.

The image of Vietnam through the eyes of foreign travelers has been significantly improved. Website Trip Advisor recently voted Hanoi as one of the 10 most attractive destinations in the world in 2014. The US-based Mymodernmet.com website also ranked Ha Long Bay fourth on the list of seven destinations with the most beautiful scenery in the world.

The New York Times ranked Quang Binh eighth on the list of 52 ideal destinations for visitors in 2014. The National Geographic Magazine, Russian version, praised the beauty of Son Doong Cave in Quang Binh. The magazine said Son Doong was one of the 12 most impressive caves in the world and the tour to Son Doong is a top adventurous tour for 2014.

The Telegraph newspaper of the UK voted the Ba Na Cable Car system in Da Nang as the third of the top 11 most impressive cable car systems in the world.

The New York Daily and The Daily Meal also had good reviews of Vietnam’s tourism services and voted the La Maison 1888 Restaurant of the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort as one of the top four most beautiful restaurants in the world.

Source: VietNamNet