This year's HCM City Tourism Day 2011 will highlight special aspects offive popular destinations – HCM City, Da Lat, Binh Thuan, Phu Quoc andHai Phong, organisers of the annual event said on March 22.
LaQuoc Khanh, deputy director of the city's Department of Culture, Sportsand Tourism, said at a press briefing that a photographic exhibitionwill present markets in HCM City, flowers in Da Lat, beaches in Mui Ne,Phu Quoc island, and the red flamboyance of poinciana flowers in HaiPhong.
Last year, the central province of Quang Binh had becomethe first destination to be promoted under the department's plan tohighlight a different destination or destinations every year.
"The HCM City Tourism Day is an important festival that can stimulate tourism demand at a difficult time," Khanh said.
"Itcan be seen as a supermarket where travel companies promote and selltheir products, and customers can freely choose what they like."
However,this "supermarket" remains a relatively new concept in Vietnam and bothtravel companies as well as customers are yet to use such events as amajor resource, he said.
Hence, most travel companies whoparticipate in the event focus on promoting their brand name instead ofselling their product directly.
However, 92 percent of travelfirms that joined the event last year have registered to so again,proving its success, Khanh said.
In the context of inflation andan increase in prices of most goods and services, the festival willenjoin participants to stand by the Government's efforts to keep pricesstable as much as possible, Khanh said.
The city TourismAssociation has petitioned the Ministry of Finance to cut value-addedtax by 50 percent, corporate income tax by 50 percent and allow travelcompanies to pay taxes two months late, an association representativesaid at the briefing.
The four-day event is being organised at the city's September 23 Park in downtown HCM City from April 7.
Theevent will feature a travel fair, a Southern food festival, GoldenVoice of HCM City Tourism contest, “tai tu” traditional musicperformances as well as the photo exhibition.
Though theorganisers expected to attract 80 companies to fill 150 booths, anadditional four booths have been booked this year.
"The eventaims to help travel companies publicise their brands and promote theirservices for the coming summer season," Khanh said.
A dominanttheme of HCM City Tourism Day 2011 is "Tourism Brand" and those brandsthat have made a mark in domestic and overseas markets will be honouredat the festival.
It will name the top ten names in manycategories including: destinations, inbound travel companies, outboundtravel companies, domestic travel companies, tourism websites, luxuryhotels, shopping stores, hotels for businesspeople, hotels for MICE(Meeting-Incentive-Conference-Event), tour companies and restaurants.
A grand closing ceremony honoring top Vietnamese tourism brands will be broadcast live on the HTV9 channel./.
LaQuoc Khanh, deputy director of the city's Department of Culture, Sportsand Tourism, said at a press briefing that a photographic exhibitionwill present markets in HCM City, flowers in Da Lat, beaches in Mui Ne,Phu Quoc island, and the red flamboyance of poinciana flowers in HaiPhong.
Last year, the central province of Quang Binh had becomethe first destination to be promoted under the department's plan tohighlight a different destination or destinations every year.
"The HCM City Tourism Day is an important festival that can stimulate tourism demand at a difficult time," Khanh said.
"Itcan be seen as a supermarket where travel companies promote and selltheir products, and customers can freely choose what they like."
However,this "supermarket" remains a relatively new concept in Vietnam and bothtravel companies as well as customers are yet to use such events as amajor resource, he said.
Hence, most travel companies whoparticipate in the event focus on promoting their brand name instead ofselling their product directly.
However, 92 percent of travelfirms that joined the event last year have registered to so again,proving its success, Khanh said.
In the context of inflation andan increase in prices of most goods and services, the festival willenjoin participants to stand by the Government's efforts to keep pricesstable as much as possible, Khanh said.
The city TourismAssociation has petitioned the Ministry of Finance to cut value-addedtax by 50 percent, corporate income tax by 50 percent and allow travelcompanies to pay taxes two months late, an association representativesaid at the briefing.
The four-day event is being organised at the city's September 23 Park in downtown HCM City from April 7.
Theevent will feature a travel fair, a Southern food festival, GoldenVoice of HCM City Tourism contest, “tai tu” traditional musicperformances as well as the photo exhibition.
Though theorganisers expected to attract 80 companies to fill 150 booths, anadditional four booths have been booked this year.
"The eventaims to help travel companies publicise their brands and promote theirservices for the coming summer season," Khanh said.
A dominanttheme of HCM City Tourism Day 2011 is "Tourism Brand" and those brandsthat have made a mark in domestic and overseas markets will be honouredat the festival.
It will name the top ten names in manycategories including: destinations, inbound travel companies, outboundtravel companies, domestic travel companies, tourism websites, luxuryhotels, shopping stores, hotels for businesspeople, hotels for MICE(Meeting-Incentive-Conference-Event), tour companies and restaurants.
A grand closing ceremony honoring top Vietnamese tourism brands will be broadcast live on the HTV9 channel./.
