Mekong Delta nations link-up to draw tourists
By Y. Sulaiman l eTN Asia
The three Mekong Delta countries, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, will jointly organize International Tourism Expo-Ho Chi Minh City (ITE-HCMC) to be held in October 2007.
Through this venture, Tourism Department of HCMC, the Tourism Ministry of Cambodia and Lao National Administration of Tourism will focus on selling the Mekong Delta countries as a single tourism destination.
Themed "Three Countries, One Destination," the expo is aimed at drawing interest from visitors in high tourist markets the US, Europe, Australiasia, Japan and South Korea. “We are targeting countries outside the Mekong Delta countries,” said La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of HCMC tourism department.
“In addition to seminars introducing land, sea and air adventure tourism in the Indochinese countries, the expo will also publicize cultural tourism sites,” added Khanh.
The three Mekong Delta countries are learning from the lessons of its ASEAN member countries, which has taken the path of selling itself as a single destination (Malaysia-Singapore-Thailand) including issuing multiple entry permits, to enable multiple entries made during a single trip.
Despite lack of infrastructure facilities and poor communication skills to promote its tourism destinations, the Vietnamese tourism market is currently leading the tourism push in the Mekong Delta countries.
Its recently concluded a three-day promotion of Vietnamese tourism at its ITE-HCMC 2006, which successfully drew an estimated 10,000 visitors including 71 international tourism agencies and 140 tour companies seeking cooperation and business opportunities in the Vietnamese tourism industry.
August 8, 2006
Posted in: Vietnam