The 31 Digital Issue (18 Aug) of Travel Weekly Magazine

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Vietnam Golf Coast sets spotlight on ‘best courses in the country’06-07

347 Taiwanese Customs to know whenever visiting Taiwan

24-25Eight events to be held across Thailand

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Dear Travel Weekly readers!

Welcome to the 31 Issues of Travel Weekly!

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Vietnam Golf Coast sets spotlight on ‘best courses in the country’06-07

347 Taiwanese Customs to know whenever visiting Taiwan

24-25Eight events to be held across Thailand

http://www.itehcmc.com/

09. Agreement to boost tourism ties between Vietnam and China

02. Hue plans to become a cultural, tourist and festival city

VIETNAM NEWS

05. Central region to lure more Japanese tourists

03. HCMC faces obstacles in waterway tourism development

10. Ministry calls for developing tourism infrastructure

Eight events to be held across Thailand 24 - 25

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will organise eight special events around the theme of the famous Thai smile in a bid to rebuild the good image of Thai tourism and facilitate the return to normalcy following the recent political disturbances. Enjoy to read more detail programme.

Vietnam has made a bit of noise in the past with its golf offerings but the quality of the golf in Danang, its proximity to air hubs across SE Asia, and the proximity of the golf to hotels (and the beach) makes Vietnam Golf Coast, a new partnership of courses and beach resorts that launches today, something else again. Please see below news about the Vietnam Golf Coast.

Vietnam Golf Coast sets spotlight on ‘best

courses in the country’

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Remember that you are a visitor in this country. At all times, respect their social customs and cultural differ-ences. They may seem odd to you but they are a part of their life and culture. Particularly, in visiting religious institutions, adhere to a semblance of protocol. Respect their deities. Observe what others do and, wherever possible, ask if you are not sure. Common sense rules.

7 Taiwanese Customs to know whenever visiting

Taiwan

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12. Vietnam remains attractive for tourists and investors

13 . National Tourism Year 2011 - Paradise for Sea and Island

14. Thanh Hoa to hold Lam Kinh festival to mark Hanoi’s birthday

15. Hai Phong’s tourism week to mark the Hanoi’s giant anniversary

1,000 YEARS OF THANG LONG - HANOI

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

18. Visa offers pre-paid card for Youth Olympics

19. Ritz-Carlton hits new heights in HK

20. Cambodia’s Royal Group Unveils Master Plan

21. Swiss-Garden Hotel KL launches taxi campaign

22. New Caledonia to host Melanesian Arts Festival

27. THAI Airways announces winter schedule

29. Air Mekong gets jets for October

AVIATION NEWS

31. Air China Becomes Strategic Partner of CIFIT

32. Korean Air achieves strong growth in the second quarter

35 - 37. How to Travel on a Very Limited Budget

38 - 39. Understanding Culture in Medical Tourism

40 - 42. The simplicity of Thanh Toan tile bridge

DO YOU KNOW

DESTINATIONS

BUSINESS ADVICE

MEDICAL TOURISM

VIETNAM NEWS

Thursday 19.08.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn

Malaysia’s tourism authorities are stepping up promotions, expecting to attract 200,000 travellers from Vietnam this year. Akbal Sertia of Tourism Malaysia told a Malaysia Golf and Youth Seminar in HCM City that his country welcomed 150,000 Vietnamese visitors last year but nearly 100,000 in the first half of this year. Meanwhile, nearly 116,000 Malaysian visitors came to Vietnam in the first seven months, a yearly increase of 19.4 percent.

According to the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, the Lam Dong Provincial People’s Committee has approved of building a center for festival culture exchange of ethnic minority groups. The project will be carried out on an area of 30ha in Lat com-mune, Lac Duong District with an initial investment of VND40 billion.The project is expected to be completed in late 2010 to help visitors study the culture of ethnic minority groups in locali-ties and cultures of regions nationwide, preserve ethnic culture and promote tourism in these localities.

At the opening agenda of the Hue Party Congress for the 2010-2015 period, which opened in Hue on 9th August, issued the plan to turn Hue into a cultural, tourism and festival city.

Nguyen Kim Dung, chairman of Hue city’s People’s Com-mittee said that in order to fulfill its targets, the city needs to build a comprehensive socio-economic infrastructure, especially its urban infrastructure and train its human re-sources to meet the demand for development during the international integration process. It also needs to improve its planning, public transport, and call for direct air route to Hue city, finalise a project to build drainage and waste treatment systems, upgrade the urban lighting system and turn Hue into a first-tier city. In addition, it is necessary to improve the banks of Huong, An Cuu, and Ngu Ha rivers to prevent floods and ensure environmental hygiene. The city should put forward detailed policies to facilitate the operations of busi-nesses, economic sectors, develop cultural and eco-tourism, organise attractive festivals to improve its competitive edge and expand its tourism activities in both domestic and for-eign markets. The city should also promote Hue’s tourism, preserve the scenery landscapes along the Huong River as well as the architecture of the old imperial city to improve the quality of cultural and festival activities and develop tourism sustainably. Hue aims to welcome 2,5 million visitors by 2015 (including 40-50 percent international arrivals) with turnover from the service sector increasing 25 percent and tax revenues reach-ing VND3,000 billion by 2015, expected to achieve an annual GDP of 14,5 -15 percent by 2015, raise average annual per capital income to US$2,800-3,000 as well as tourism revenues by 18-20 percent.

A Malaysian Culinary Week will be held at the Melia Hotel, Hanoi, from 26-31 August, showcasing typical Malaysian foods and drinks. Two Malaysian chefs will make some of their country’s iconic dishes like roti canai, satay, fried rice noodles or laksa, nasi lemak, and teh tarik. Also at the event, Malaysian artists will perform traditional dances including court and folk dances played to the beat of drums.

The HCM City Tourism Associa-tion plans to set up a yacht club later this year for yacht owners and sailing industry executives. Nguyen Huu Tho, director general of Saigontourist Holding Co and chairman of the association, said 30 people, all yacht owners and businesspeople providing yacht and yacht-related services on the Sai Gon River, have registered to join the club. There are more than 30 yachts in the city and another 10 yachts will arrive this year.

Saigontourist and Sai Gon-Phu Yen Tourism Joint Stock Company have recently opened the VND90 billion four-star Sai Gon-Phu Yen hotel with 87 rooms, 14 villas. The hotel is part of the joint investment strategy to diversify and improve the quality of tourism products, setting up service standards for tourist lines and destinations. Accordingly, the Sai Gon-Phu Yen Hotel will offer a 50% discount for tourists from now until 31st December.

Malaysia targets Vietnamese tourists

Malaysian culinary week in Hanoi

HCM City to establish yacht club Four-star Sai Gon - Phu

Yen hotel unveiled

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Center for festival culture exchange of ethnic minorities to be built

Hue plans to become a cultural, tourist and festival city


HCM City has an interconnecting system of rivers and canals that go through the city and connect HCM City with prov-inces in the southern region. However, water tourism in the city has not yet developed. Contemplating while traveling on the river? There are about 20 tourism ships and ca-noes operating in the Bach Dang port area in District 1. These include restaurants’ ships that carry tourists to travel on the Saigon River at nights.

In the past, travel firms once provided tours so tourists could travel on the Saigon River and then be dropped in Can Gio district. However, the firms stopped providing the tours because they had so few clients. Nowadays, ships only depart when they can gather enough people. The activities designed for waterways tourists proved to be very simple. Tourists can have parties on the ships while they travel along the river, or go to Binh Quoi village to watch traditional weddings. According to Bui Viet Thuy Tien, Manag-ing Director of Asian Trails Company,

foreign tourists like travelling on river. However, most of the firm’s waterways tours have been in the Mekong Delta, not in HCM City. From Cai Be, tourists go to Can Tho City to see the floating market and orchards, or they go farther to Chau Doc and Rach Gia. Meanwhile, in HCM City, the agenda for tourists is very simple: tourists have dinner on ships, travel along the Saigon River, and then at departure time prepare to return to Bach Dang wharf. When tourists demand it, the firm will charter a ship for half a day to carry tour-ists. Meanwhile, tourists only sit on the ships to enjoy the view of the banks of the river, and then return to the departure point. “Tourists nowadays do only one thing – sit and look into the banks of the river. Honestly, there are fewer beautiful and attractive landscapes on the river banks,” Tien said. However, Chiem Thanh Long, Director of Binh Quoi Tourism Village believes that HCM City has great potential to develop its waterways tourism industry, and that if the city’s authorities pay attention to

developing tourism, the investment will bring a big boost to the economy. How to develop waterways tourism? The HCM City People’s Committee has approved a plan by the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Department to develop the waterways tourism industry. The city’s authorities have asked the department to develop a route connecting An Giang and Cambodia. The department is also con-sidering developing short-distance tours (Bach Dang wharf – Nha Be T-junction – painters’ village; Bach Dang wharf – Tau Hu canal). However, according to tourism com-panies, the biggest problem facing the waterways tourism industry is the lack of docks where ships can receive clients. Binh Quoi Tourism Village once planned on having more ships, but then it had to cancel its plans because the Bach Dang dock was already full. Long stressed that the first thing that needs to be done is to build docks where ships can receive clients. After that, travel firms will think of developing their fleets and cooperating with service providers.

VIETNAM NEWS 3

HCMC faces obstacles in waterway tourism development

VIETNAM NEWS


according to Mrs Trinh Thi Hong Loan, Head of the Management Office of Craft Industry under the Hanoi Trade and Indus-try Department said four pilot tours have been launched in the craft villages of Van Ha Wood, Ha Thai Lacquer, Chuon Ngo Painting, Bat Trang Pottery, Phu Vinh Bam-boo and Rattan Weaving and Quat Dong embroidery.

Earlier, the Hanoi Trade and Industry Department invited lecturers of the Ha-noi Open University’s Tourism Faculty to provide training for tourism services and culture preservation to 210 people in these craft villages.

Cooperation among the 244 craft villages in Hanoi is not strong enough, said Nguy-en Hoang Luu, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi Handicraft and Trade Village Association. In addition, they still lack good tourism ser-vices and guides, while the cultural identi-ties in these villages are fading away.

Officials of the city department also wor-ried about the pollution in these villages due to urbanization.

Developing tourism in craft villages will not only help preserve their cultural identi-ties but will also improve the living stan-dards of local residents in these villages.

Hanoi develops tourism in craft villages

China aims toboost tourism in HCMC

A seminar themed “China – Vietnam Friendship Year, joining hands for tourism development” was held on 11st August with the aim of boosting China’s tourism in Ho Chi Minh City. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on tourism cooperation between Vietnam and China in the 2010-2013 period.

The event, attended by tourism agents from China’s Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan provinces, Chinese Consul Gen-eral in HCMC Xu Ming Liang affirmed that it is a significant milestone to enhance tourism co-operation between Vietnam and China.

In the past few years, a large number of Chinese visitors have visited to Vietnam, vice versa, more and more Vietnamese people have a chance to travel to China due to increasingly living conditions.

Nguyen Manh Cuong, the Deputy Head of the Vietnam National Administration of tourism (VNAT) stressed the importance of the Vietnam-China friendship year 2010, which helps boost bilateral relationship to a new height, including cooperation in tourism. The year of 2010 is expected to increase understanding between the two tourism sectors and offer chances for tourism agents of both countries to meet,

exchange and set up business links.

La Quoc Khanh, Deputy Director of the HCM City Culture, Sports and Tourism De-partment, China now ranks sixth out of ten leading market of Vietnam’s tourism sector. In the previous year, the city welcomed 140,000 Chinese visitors and is expected to receive nearly 200,000 tourists from the neighbouring country in 2010.

China is also one of the three favourite destinations of the city’s dwellers. It is expected that 60,000 of the city’s residents will visit China this year.

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VIETNAM NEWS 5

H oi An ancient city will hold Vietnam - Japan Cultural Exchange Days on

21 August and be expected to lure more international arrivals, particularly those from Japan.

During the event, the eighth of its kind in Hoi An, a series of programmes imbued with the Vietnamese and Japanese cul-tures will be presented such as perfor-mances of folk dancing, traditional mu-sic, dragon dance, traditional costumes, tea drinking ceremony and calligraphy as well as a festival with flower garlands and coloured lanterns on river.

Moreover, it’s also the first time the Iwamikagura royal singing and danc-ing troupe and the Daisuwataiko drum group from Japan will join the event.

Starting from 2003, the annual event is to tighten friendship between Vietnam and Japan and offers an opportunity to promote Hoi An, a world heritage site, to international friends, said Vo Phung, Director of the Hoi An Culture and Sport Centre.

Japan and central Vietnam in general and Hoi An in particular treasured a time-honoured traditional relationship,

prompting the Japanese to visit the land where their ancestors used to travel to, Toshikazu Suzuki, Director of the Ja-pan human resource training and con-sultancy institute in Vietnam, said at a workshop themed “Central Vietnam - A destination for Japanese tourists, poten-tial and solution” held in Quang Nam province last May.

However, poor services, which fail to meet Japanese visitors’ demands, are blamed for the low number of Japanese tourists, who account for about only four percent of the total one million foreign arrivals to the central region.

Also at the workshop, the three central localities of Quang Nam, Thua Thien-Hue and Da Nang mapped out a plan, aiming at attracting 1 million Japanese tourists to the region each year. The localities will accelerate tourism pro-motion in Japan, open their tourism of-fices in Japan and organise Japanese language courses for their small traders and tourist guides.

Central region to lure more Japanese tourists

VIETNAM NEWS


Vietnam Golf Coast sets spotlight on ‘best courses in the country’


VIETNAM NEWS 7Vietnam Golf Coast sets spotlight on ‘best courses in the country’ The maturation of golf in Vietnam takes another step forward today with formation of

the Vietnam Golf Coast, a new partnership of golf and beach resorts in the Central Coast city of Danang. The consortium’s web hub, www.vietnamgolfcoast.com, also

goes live today.

Vietnam’s standing as an up-an-coming golf destination is no secret, but establishment of the Vietnam Golf Coast coordinates for tourists the country’s top new courses with its fin-est hotels and beaches, all in one place. That place is a comely stretch of sand in Danang, 20 minutes from an international airport that sits within 2-hour flights of both Singapore and Hong Kong.

Indeed, the first of 30 regularly scheduled charter flights to Danang out of Hong Kong on Vietnam Airlines will commence Sept. 17, and will fly every Tuesday and Friday thereafter.

The founding members of The Vietnam Golf Coast are:

• Montgomerie Links Vietnam: Designed by sitting European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie and opened in August 2009, Monty Links was recently ranked 7th on the list of top courses in all of Southeast Asia.

• Danang Golf Club: Crafted by legend Greg Norman and opened to wide acclaim in May 2010, the Dunes Course at Danang GC is “as close as you’ll come (in Asia) to the UK’s great links courses,” according to Golf Digest Singapore.

• The Nam Hai: An ultra-luxurious, all-villa property, The Nam Hai is the most highly ac-claimed resort in the country. It was named to Travel+Leisure magazine’s “It List” when it opened in 2007, and won Best Resort in T+L’s design competition the following year.

• Life Resort Danang: The region’s newest 5-star hotel (it opened in March 2010), Life Resort Danang is set on five hectares fronting beautiful Bac My An beach. Its nearby sister property in Hoi An is on Condé Nast Traveler’s Gold List and won a Reader’s Choice Award.

• Golfasian Vietnam: The leading golf tour operator in Southeast Asia, Golfasian Vietnam has been named Official Tour Operator of the Vietnam Golf Coast.

Golfasian has arranged more than 17,000 golf trips to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam since 2001, yet CEO Mark Siegel sees the emergence of Danang as something of a break-through.

“The golf offerings in Danang are new, but a variety of factors have conspired to peg Dan-ang as the top golf destination in the country, and one of the best in all of Southeast Asia,” Siegel said. “For starters, I think Danang Golf Club and Montgomerie Links are the best two courses in the country. There are several excellent courses in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, but they’re all at least an hour from downtown hotels or the airports.

Just south of Danang, 20 minutes from The Nam Hai and Life Resort Danang, sits the UNESCO World Heritage city of Hoi An - with its extraordinary history, dining and shop-ping. To the north lies Hue, the last imperial capital of Vietnam. Bathing the entire region with its warm tropical waters is the East Sea, home to some of the country’s freshest sea-food and top SCUBA locales in Southeast Asia.

It’s no accident that American armed forces chose Danang as the center of its R&R culture during the Vietnam War.

“What you have here is a year-round beach culture that has, in the last five years, added the sort of sophistication and amenities that have made the world take notice: 5-star hotels, casinos, golf, and transportation infrastructure,” said Howie Roberts, general manager of Danang Golf Club, which will add a second 18 in 2012.

In Danang, the golf and airline offerings appear to have come of age simultaneously. While a new international airport will open in 2011, Danang already accommodates international flights from Singapore and Guangzhou, in addition to regular connecting service from both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Shanghai Airlines will soon commence a twice-a-week charter service from its hub, Shanghai, to complement those Vietnam Airlines has sched-uled from Hong Kong, starting in September.

VIETNAM NEWS


Quang Binh aims to develop tourismQuang Binh aims to develop tourism

Tourism sector pays an important role in improv-ing the social-economic development in the central province of Quang Binh. Also, the prov-

ince plans to develop tourism as a key industry with huge investment in upgrading the infrastructure and changing operational methods in the near future.

Over the last few years, Quang Binh has concentrated on developing their transportation system. The prov-ince has built a road along the coast linking famous tourist sites, such as Nhat Le, Quang Phu and Da Nhay beaches, to the Dong Hoi airport. In May, the province started the construction of a new road, at a cost of VND 180 billion. Otherwise, the Dong Hoi airport is being upgraded at the cost of more than VND 212 billion with the aim at attracting more domestic and foreign tour-ists. Furthermore, with support from the Ministry of Transportation, the Quang Binh province spent more than VND 1 trillion to upgrade a 300 km road from the Cha Lo International Border Gate to the Hon La sea port, and foreign tourists from Laos and Thailand can now visit tourist sites in the province, along with cara-van tours between Vietnam – Laos and Thailand. Ad-ditionally, the Dong Duong Company is constructing an 820 ha tourist area with VND 253 billion, near the Bang Geyser. This is a high-grade tourist site connect-ing other sites in the province.

Arriving in Dong Hoi city, tourists will have a chance to visit the Nhat Le Bridge, and to stay at high-end tourist areas, such as the My Canh – Bao Ninh eco-tourism resorts and the VND 500 billion Sun Spa resort with high-standard facilities, such as 4 star hotels, asports complex and entertainment spots. Dong Hoi also has a chain of hotels with more than 2,000 luxury rooms.

As the Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park became recognized as a World Heritage site, more domestic and foreign tourists have visited Quang Binh.

In the first seven months of this year, the province wel-comed nearly half a million tourists. This is a 20% in-crease when compared to the same period last year. In particular, the number of international tourists has increased by 63.58%. The Phong Nha – Ke Bang Na-tional Park received 7,000 visits a day on the occasion of April 30th and May 1st alone. The province targets to welcome 1 million visitors this year. The tour enti-tled “Central Region’s Heritage Road” is expected to attract a lot of tourist to Quang Binh.

To reach this target, the province needs to improve promotional programs and quality of its tourism staff. In addition, the province should work together with travel agencies in other provinces to develop tourism.

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VIETNAM NEWS 9

Quang Binh aims to develop tourismQuang Binh aims to develop tourism

Tourism leaders of Vietnam and China signed an agreement in Hanoi on August 9 to tighten cooperation in a large swath of areas from training and joint marketing to development of new tourism products.

The agreement, signed between Vietnam’s Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism and head of China National Tourism Administra-tion (CNTA), is aimed at increasing the num-ber of tourists visiting each other’s country to three million a year, the source said.

Pham Quang Hung, head of the International Cooperation Division under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, told that tourism entrepreneurs of the two sides will increase meetings to exchange information and policies relating to their business.

CNTA will teach the Chinese language for employees of Vietnam’s hotels and res-taurants along with organizing seminars

to show the needs of Chinese travelers to Vietnamese travel firms.

For marketing activities, the two sides will join hands to promote tourism images on na-tional televisions, and invite media to come and organize food festivals. CNTA will help Vietnam’s tourism to organize road shows in Hunan, Jiangxi, and Fuchien of China in next month.

For the development of tourism products, the two administrations will cooperate to build tourist routes through the two countries to woo both Chinese, Vietnamese travelers and visitors from third countries.

Hung said that the two sides shared the view in developing sea tourism, and agreed to make survey trips for developing products and the infrastructure system for this kind of tourism.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and China National Tourism Admin-istration have also agreed to join hands in tapping the tourism potential of the Ban Gioc – De Tian fall in the borderline between the two countries as soon as possible.

Hung said that the agreement was inked on the working and promotion trip conducted by China’s tourism in the country.

China National Tourism Administration on Monday organized a road show in the capital city of Hanoi to promote its tourism image to Vietnamese guests. The event will be repeated in HCMC on August 11.

China is the biggest market of Vietnam’s inbound tourism with nearly 512,000 arrivals reported in the seven months of this year, up 95.4% year-on-year. The figure is expected to rise to one million this year.

The Saigontourist Holding Company (Saigontourist) has planned to build marinas at several localities nationwide with the aim at offering a new model of tourism and diversifying its tourism products.Nguyen Huu Tho, General Director of Saigontourist said “Marinas is expected to build in Ninh Chu, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Nha Trang and Da Nang in the near future.”“A marina is currently under construction in Ho Coc in the southern coastal Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. Some of our partners said that they are willing to collaborate with us if we have new marinas”, Tho added.According to Tho, in addition to the plan to build marinas at the localities, Saigontourist has been carrying out its project to build a wharf in Nha Be district, Ho Chi Minh city, as well as launching vari-ous activities to promote this kind of tourism in Vietnam.

Saigontourist to build new marinas

Agreement to boost tourism ties between Vietnam and China


VIETNAM NEWSVIETNAM NEWS10

Ministry calls for developing tourism infrastructure The development of tourism in each country relies on the development of appropriate infrastruc-ture, which services a tourist’s needs and encourages investment by the private sector in competi-tive tourism product. Realizing the urgent infrastructure effects, The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has submitted a plan to develop tourism infrastructure for the 2010-2015 period focus-ing on localities that put on priority in the years to come.


VIETNAM NEWS 11

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has submitted to the central Government a plan to develop tourism infrastructure for the 2010-2015 period focusing on localities that put on priority in the years to come.

On the ministry’s website also calls for investment from both the State budget and private sources in order to enhance infrastructure in key

localities, Central Highlands provinces as well as 21 national tourism parks. Beside key localities, neighboring provinces like HCMC, Hanoi, Hue and Danang are also in key tourism centers.

The ministry has pointed out that big investments are needed to develop the coun-try’s important tourist routes. The projects should include a section linking the North-South railway with the trans-Asia railway, the international sea route through Quang Ninh, Danang, Khanh Hoa and HCMC, the East-West tourism route via Lao Bao border gate, the international route from China’s Yunnan to Lao Cai, Hanoi, Hai Phong, and Quang Ninh.

In the list are also the waterway in the Greater Mekong Sub region that passes along the Mekong River to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and China, Ho Chi Minh trail, and the route of world heritage sites in the country.

According to the plan, the State Budget should cover around 80% to 100% of total investment for infrastructure project in remote areas, and around 15% to 20% for proj-ects in other tourism centers, therefore, the tourism industry needs to map out priority projects in each year to call for investors, with the State Budget targeted as the major source of investment.

The ministry mentioned some other investment forms like Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), and “land in exchange for infrastructure” among others.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said Vietnam has attracted 2,91 million international tourists from January-July. The country is expected to welcome seven to eight million visitors by 2015 and 11-12 million by 2020 as envisaged in the tourism development strategy for this decade.


According to a report of Research and Market Company said major changes over the past three decades have made Vietnam become an attractive destination for tourists, investors, and busi-nesses worldwide.

In July 2010 report on Vietnam Investment Environment, the lead-ing supplier of international market research and market data, added that Vietnam is a developing and an ambitious country. In the summary report posted on “http://www.researchandmarkets.com”, the company is in the opinion that it is worth risk taking for making investment or doing business in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s renewal process since 1986, which is considered as the greatest transformation of the country from its reunification, makes foreign investors understand about Vietnam. In 2007, Vietnam’s entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2007 has helped facilitate the Southeast Asian country’s global integration.

The company provides details on key macroeconomic indicators,

trends of foreign investment in Vietnam, taxation issues, and bank-ing system. It also provides details on legal basis, forms of foreign investment, merger and acquisition, regulation and licensing in telecommunications, privatisation and liberalisation of the telecom market, and the new telecommunications law.

Recently, U.K. newspaper, the Financial Times ranked the South-east Asian country as a promising market for foreign investors thanks to its cheap and abundant labor costs and political stability.

Vietnam licensed 533 foreign-invested projects totaling $8.4 billion and allowed 137 existing projects to add their capital by $715 mil-lion between January and July. Foreign investors disbursed a total of $6.4 billion in the country during the period.This year, the Southeast Asian country expects to attract $25 billion and disburse $11 billion in FDI this year, up 16.38% and 10% on-year, respectively.

Fifteen tour guides have gathered to compete in the final round of the second National Tour Guide Competition held in Hanoi on August 15.

The 15 shortlist contestants were selected from 50 candidates from 14 cities and provinces nationwide. They have per-formed in a range of categories, includ-ing video tape dubbing, questions and answer session, and foreign-language speaking contest.

Tour guide Huynh Cong Hieu from the Saigontourist won first prize, worth 5 million VND and a tour package for two people to the Republic of Korea. He also

won the best dubbing award thanks to his presentation on Hoi An Town.

Runners-up Nguyen Hong Nguyen from Hanoitourist and Nguyen Quynh from the Saigontourist won 4 million VND cash prizes and a trip for two people to Malay-sia and Singapore.

Vice general director of the Vietnam Na-tional Administration of Tourism Nguyen Manh Cuong said the competition aimed to honour tour guides and reward those who excelled at their job, helping contrib-ute towards improving the Vietnamese tourism industry.

Fifteen tour guides battle it out for top award

Vietnam remains attractive for tourists and investors

VIETNAM NEWS12

VIETNAM NEWS


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Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay won second larg-est number of international votes over the past four weeks in the campaign voting for the world’s seven new natural wonders.

The information was released by the NewOpenWorld on its website www.new7-wonders.com on August 16.

The voting for Ha Long Bay has achieved satisfactory results in several countries like Japan, the Republic of Korea, France and Mexico.

Recently, the Ministry of Culture, Sports

and Tourism has worked with the Ha Long Bay Management Board to open a photo exhibition in New York City of the US from 11-18 August.

In the coming time, a wide range of activi-ties to vote for Ha Long Bay will continue to take place in many countries across the world.

To vote for Ha Long bay, twice recognised by the UNESCO for its landscapes and geological values, please visit the web-site www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/vote_on_nominees

Ha Long Bay ranks 2nd in world wonders voting

Asian music, and the 17th Viet Nam Film Festival. The provinces will also launch 12 other events as part of the National Tour-ism Year.

Phu Yen province has 77 accommodation sites with 1700 chamber, of these, 800 chambers offer the same service level as three-star hotels and daily flights from Hanoi – Tuy Hoa and Tuy Hoa – HCMC in five flights per week.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tour-ism in co-ordination with the Phu Yen People’s Committee held a meeting to discuss activities for National Tourism Year 2011 in the central coastal province.

The National Tourism year themed Para-dise for Sea and Island Tourism will last

from March to November next year and be co-organised with several neighbour-ing provinces (i.e. Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Da Nang and Central High-land provinces), featuring events such as climb Da Bia Mountain, Viet Nam-Korea cultural exchanges, traditional Southeast

National Tourism Year 2011 - Paradise for Sea and Island

mailto: [email protected]

Thanh Hoa to hold Lam Kinh festival to mark Hanoi’s birthday

According to Ho Quang Son, Chairman of the Inter-Asso-ciation of Lam Kinh Culture Heritage, said 100 bronze drums has been casted to mark the anniversary of 1,000 years of Thang Long – Hanoi and will be showcased at the Temple of Literature on the occasion of Vietnam’s Nation-al Day (2nd September). And then, these bronze drums will be performed during the cel-ebration of the 1,000 years of Thang Long – Hanoi. The handout ceremony of 100 kettledrums to the National Steerage Board of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and the biggest drum carved 1,000 dragons to the Hanoi People’s Committee will take place on August 29th at the Temple of Literature. According to the plan of the Organizing Board, when the great festival ends, the 100 bronze drums will be pre-sented to 63 provinces and

cities and 37 outstanding cor-porations, enterprises and in-dividuals nationwide. The drums are reproduc-tions of Quang Xuong, Hoang Ha, Ngoc Lu and Dong Son bronze drums, after its com-pletion, each drum weighs 60kg with a diameter of 60cm and height of 48cm. The big-gest drum has diameter of 1 meter and a height of 79cm and it is carved 1,000 drag-ons. Casting the 100 bronze drums for the occasion of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi is a social project, which is co-organised by the National Steerage Board of the 1,000 years of Thang Long-Hanoi, the Vietnam Associa-tion of Historical Science, the Vietnam Association of Heri-tage, the Inter-Association of Lam Kinh Cultural Heritage and the Thanh Hoa Associa-tion of Antiques.

According to the Thanh Hoa Provincial People’s Commit-tee, Lam Kinh festival – the biggest festival of the province will be held in the framework of a programme to mark the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi.The festival, currently, has not been officially announced but is expected to take place in late September or early October.The festival commemorates the national hero Le Loi, who defeated Chinese Ming invaders and brought indepen-dence to his people, becoming the first king of the Le dy-nasty with the title Le Thai To 580 years ago. Construction of the Lam Kinh citadel, also known as Tay Kinh (West citadel) began in 1433. The citadel is located in Xuan Lam Commune, approximately 50 kilometers from Thanh Hoa City, in north-west Vietnam.The citadel is both an original imperial temple of the latter Le dynasty and the historic location of the Tay Son upris-ing. Lam Kinh sits in a stately manner on the Chu River, with Chu Son mountain in the distance and with its back to Dau mountain. It lays a leisurely arm on Phu Lam forest

and Ngoc mountain on the eastern side, and another on the Huong and Ham Rong range of mountains on the western side. While the citadel still enjoys the natural scenery of hills and rivers around it, many architectural works inside have been destroyed.However recent preservation projects have restored some of the more significant artifacts, such as the main palace, tombstone houses, King Le’s temple, the temple of national hero Le Lai and King Le Hien Tong’s tomb and stele, to name a few.Lam Kinh citadel covers an area of more than 86,000 square meters.


1,000 years of Thang Long - Hanoidays to come

1,000 metre long kite to welcome the 1,000 years of Thang Long - Hanoi

Hai Phong’s tourism week to mark the Hanoi’s giant anniversary

The 1,000 metre long kite made by craftsman Nguyen Thanh Van will fly at the great cel-ebration of Thang Long – Hanoi.Nguyen Thanh Van has had over more than half a century of strong attachment to kites and many times he obtained the glory at do-mestic as well as international competitions. He attended six kite competitions in Hue. In 2006, his dragon kite, which was 100 metres in length and 1,7 metres in width, became the first recorded kite in the Vietnam Guinness Book of World Records.At the kite competitions in China in Septem-ber 2009, his traditional flute kite gained the second prize.In February 2010, the Phuong Hoang kite

gained the first prize at the kite competition in India.“I spent all my life playing kites, not because of fame and fortune but because it is passion, it’s like a second “partner”. I didn’t think this game of little children has followed me for the years. And now, it is sudden that my kite flies so far,” he said.“I thought of making a special kite to mark the nation’s giant celebration for three year ago,” he added.During the past three years, he designed a reasonable for this kite, and the idea of mak-ing 1,000 meters kite has been formed. The special kite will fly in the Hanoi sky in the up-coming great anniversary.

The northern port city of Hai Phong will organise the first Culture, Sports and Tourism Week from 28th September to 2nd October in response to the grand ceremony of the 1,000th celebration of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The city’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Department said the week, which is expected to be held annually, aims to encourage service and tourism businesses to expand production and diversify and raise the quality of their products.

The week will include the second lion dance contest, a gastronom-ic festival, an artefacts, drinks and tourism exhibition, water puppet shows, folk games and other traditional art performances.

Illustrated picture

Cuban Granma newspaper highlight-ed Hanoi’s celebration

The Cuban Granma newspa-per on 9th August published an article entitled “Hanoi – the city of the Past and Future” written by famous female re-porter Marta Roja on the occa-sion of the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi. The article opened with Ha-noi’s history 1,000 years ago when King Ly Thai To moved the capital from a mountainous region in Ninh Binh province to the Red River Delta, where he decided to establish the capital named Thang Long (Ascending Dragon).Vietnam has chosen the day of October 10th, which liber-ates Hanoi from the yoke of French colonialism in 1954, to organize the 1,000th anniver-sary of Thang Long-Hanoi. In the autumn days, Hanoi streets will become more radiant with splendors of grass, flowers and colors of sparkling lights on nights. The author, who recently vis-ited Vietnam, wrote that Hanoi now no longer shows shelter-pits on pavement so people

can avoid bombs of the US im-perialism. Instead there are images of spacious and large bridges and new urban areas. Tens of projects, important in both economic as well as social fields, will be inaugurated to celebrate the great festival.Specifically, Visitors to mod-ern Hanoi will be pleasantly surprised to see a colourful, 6-km long ceramic mosaic mu-ral along the Red River which has been created by Vietnam-ese and foreign artists during recent years. It is a great art work which lasts several ki-lometers and has been con-ducted by Vietnamese artists and international friends over several recent years. The work has created new colors and a beautiful area for the long sub-urban route. Journalist Marta Roja, a close friend of the Vietnamese peo-ple, affirmed that Hanoi, with its legend of Sword Lake and resilient struggles against for-eign invaders, will be remem-bered forever.


days to come 1,000 years of Thang Long - Hanoi

VIETNAM NEWS


http://itehcmc.com/2010/

VIETNAM NEWS


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INTERNATIONAL NEWS


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The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced its results for the first half of 2010, with operat-ing profits increasing 22% yearly to US$219 million. Revenue rose 6% to US$772 million. The hotel group added a net total of 65 hotels in the first half, taking its total inventory to 656,661 rooms (4,503 hotels), up 4% from the same period last year. In Asia Pacific, IHG’s revPAR increased 13.0%. GreaterChina was the strongest performing region with RevPAR growth of 29.4%.

Xi’an has been picked to host the 2011 International Horticultural Exposition. The 183-day Expo will be held from 11 April to 11 October in Xi’an Chanba Ecological District. Xi’an is the third Chinese city to host the event, following Kunming and Shenyang. The 418-hectare Expo Park features garden designs by master gardeners, expected to attract some 12 million people.

Even before the first medal has been awarded, history was made as an estimated 25,000 spectators enjoyed easy entry into the inaugural Youth Olympic Games Opening Ceremony venue by using the world’s first all-in-one Visa Prepaid card that combines event ticketing, payment and transit functions.

Those attending the Youth Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies have been issued with the all-in-one Visa Prepaid card which serves as the entry ticket into Marina Bay Floating Platform venue. The card also allows ticket holders to purchase food, beverages and souvenirs at Youth Olympic Games venues and enjoy free public transport1 to and from the venue.

Visa is the official payment services sponsor and the only card accepted at this inaugural Youth Olympic Games. As a world-wide sponsor and partner of the Olympic Games since 1986, this is the 14th Olympic Games supported by Visa.

This is the first time spectators to any Olympic event are using a Visa Prepaid card as an entry ticket. Chan said: “Visa worked closely with the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games Organiz-ing Committee, DBS Bank, EZ-Link and Watchdata to develop this truly innovative technology. It’s a landmark moment which we’re proud to share with some 25,000 spectators from around the world.”

The all-in-one Visa Prepaid cards are issued by Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games partner DBS Bank and will function as a reloadable electronic payment prepaid card and transit pass during and after the Youth Olympic Games. Cardholders can load value on the card at all DBS ATM kiosks, through DBS’s online banking website, selected SingPost branches and at AXS stations across Singapore.

The Land of the Rising Sun has been ranked the third most peaceful country in the world, according to the recently released 2010 Global Peace Index (GPI) compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).

Japan was ranked only behind New Zealand and Iceland in the fourth annual GPI, which comprised of 23 peace indicators including safety and security in society, and 32 related factors including civil liberties and hostility to foreigners/private property.

Renowned for its high level of safety and low levels of crime, Japan has some of the most honest people in the world, too. Figures recently released by the Metropolitan Police Department said that 2,332,904 items were handed in as ‘found items’ in Tokyo in 2008. Among the most com-mon items were umbrellas, clothing, wallets, ID cards and mobile phones. The amount of cash among the lost property totaled 2.7 billion yen which equates to approxi-mately AU$34.5 million. The 2010 GPI ranked 149 nations of the world by their peacefulness, finding that the world has become slightly less peaceful during the past year. The three least peaceful countries according to the Index were Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan.

JAL Group has announced its inter-national passenger traffic results for the quarter ending 30 June 2010, with traffic declining 2.6%, to 2.36 million passengers. Demand, mea-sured in revenue passenger kilome-tres (RPK) fell 3.3% on the back of a 19.3% reduction in capacity, leading to a much improved load factor of 72.1%. Domestic passenger num-bers dropped 0.4% year-on-year, with load factors averaging 58.0% for the quarter.

Sofitel Luxury Hotels has launched new series of wine tasting discov-eries around Asia Pacific. ‘Voyage du Vin’ has seen Sofitel partner some world-renowned wineries, including the Catena Zapata from Argentina, Nederburg and Fleur du Cap from South Africa, Howard Park from Australia, Perrin & Fils from France, Frescobaldi from Italy, and Delicato Family Vineyards from the US.

IHG profits rise in first half of 2010

Xi’an picked to host China’s next Expo Japan voted world’s

third safestJapan voted world’s third safest

Visa offers pre-paid card for Youth Olympics

JAL’s quarterly traffic declines

Sofitel launches new wine programme


INTERNATIONAL NEWSINTERNATIONAL NEWS 19

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C will make a magnificent return to Hong Kong when it opens the world’s

highest hotel in the city in the first quarter of 2011.

The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, which will occupy floors 102 to 118 of the International Commerce Centre (ICC) in Kowloon, will be a stylish and thoroughly modern hotel that truly reflects the sophistication, style and elegance of the Ritz-Carlton brand in a contemporary way.

“Hong Kong is one of the world’s great cities and we are delighted to be returning with such an iconic and dynamic hotel,” said Simon Cooper, president and COO of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. “Occupying the top 16 floors of the ICC tower in Hong Kong is a truly unique location for a hotel, offering panoramic views across Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island. Modern in design, the hotel will be the heart and soul of Hong Kong and will attract visitors from all over the world for its world-class style, design, service and its landmark loca-tion.” With interiors by Singapore’s LTW in a building developed by Hong Kong’s premier developer Sun Hung Kai Properties working with New York architects KPF, the hotel will offer 312 guest rooms all providing spectacular city and harbour views. Starting

at 50sqm for a Deluxe Room, and reaching an incredible 365sqm for the magnificent Ritz-Carlton Suite, all rooms provide state- of-the-art technology including WiFi, iPod docking stations and stylish flat screen TVs. In addition, Club room guests will enjoy the panoramic Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge with complimentary food and beverage presenta-tions 24 hours a day, as well as a dedicated Club Concierge, work stations, meeting rooms and WiFi throughout.

One of the unique aspects of the hotel, which reflects a move to more casual el-egance of The Ritz-Carlton brand, will be its bars and restaurants, which have been styl-ishly designed by Japan’s Spin Studio and Wonderwall. With six dining venues starting on the 102nd floor, including state-of-the-art designer Chinese and Italian restaurants, and lobby lounge, the alfresco rooftop bar will be a truly stunning venue at 490 meters above sea level with outstanding views over Hong Kong. Asian-style tapas and contem-porary cocktails will be served on the roof terrace, where fire pits and casual seating will create an atmosphere of stylish luxury. The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong will boast one of the largest ballrooms in the city at 930sqm. Elaborately decorated with a sea of crystal chandeliers, the décor is suited to weddings, meetings and gala events. Complimented by an additional four meet-

ing rooms, the total of 1,300sqm of meeting space will become the new social centre for Hong Kong and will set the benchmark for events in the region.

For those wishing to relax and indulge, the ESPA located on 116th floor and consisting of 860sqm of treatment rooms and relaxation area, will re-define the urban spa experi-ence in the city and across Asia. Featuring nine deluxe treatment rooms and three couples’ suites, every treatment room offers floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views where a world-class team of profes-sional therapists ensure a spa experience like no other. The hotel also features a fully equipped fitness centre and an indoor pool on the 118th floor with a 28m x 7m LED screen on the ceiling that can display im-ages. In the podium of the ICC tower, the 1,000,000sqm Elements shopping mall offers some of the finest shopping in Hong Kong with luxury brand names featured through-out this world-class location. The ICC will also host an Observation Deck on the 100th floor and offer direct connections to Hong Kong International Airport in 20 minutes and Central Hong Kong in five minutes. The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong will be very much at the heart of the city and will become a must-see tourist attraction when it opens in the first quarter of 2011.

Visa offers pre-paid card for Youth Olympics

Ritz-Carlton hits new heights in HKRitz - Carlton Dove Mountain Tucson

www.brandsavvy.com.vn

INTERNATIONAL NEWS


20

The Royal Group of Cambodia has unveiled its visionary Master Plan to transform the pristine island of Koh Rong into an environmentally planned resort destination.

A 6-month study was conducted by MAP Architects of Hong Kong and environmental consultants Scott Wilson.

With a 5-year timetable for the first phase, and ultimate completion in 25 years, the plan is one of the most far-sighted visions in global hospitality.

The Master Plan has identified lo-cations for a range of 3-star to 5-star properties. “Although the island is mostly a luxury destination, there will be something for everybody,” said Mr Clarke.

An international airport in the centre of the island will allow international flights by aircraft such as the A320 Airbus, operated by charter airlines and carriers like Air Asia, Thai Air-ways and Bangkok Airways.

A working seaport will service ferries, equipment and supply ship-ments, and roll-on, roll-off opera-tions.

A separate marina will accommo-date pleasure boats, yachts and cruise ships, with a boardwalk of boutiques, restaurants, bars and guesthouses.

Three golf courses are ultimately envisaged in the long-term, with the initial phase of development planned to include a small 9-hole option.

To meet demand for fresh water, environmental consultants Scott Wilson explored a number of op-tions – from small reservoirs and dams to tapping spring water from a deep aquifa well beneath the island. “It will also be compulsory for developers to trap rainwater on their roofs,” said Mr Clarke.

The sustainability vision extends to organic farming and fish-husbandry projects to meet much of the

island’s demand for food produce - and provide employment for the island’s indigenous fishing com-munity, estimated at around 300 families.

This includes the possibility of an international university-style educa-tional project dedicated entirely to environmental sustainability.

Koh Rong features an abundance of natural attractions including coral reefs, tropical palms, rainforest, wa-terfalls, sparkling turquoise waters and 28 pure white sand beaches – including one of the most spec-tacular in the region stretching 6 kilometres.

The Royal Group, one of Cam-bodia’s largest corporations with substantial interests in property and infrastructure development, has been granted a 99-year lease by the Cambodian government to develop Koh Rong.

Cambodia’s Royal Group Unveils Master Plan

Focusing on high quality, sustainable tourism, it details how the “next Asian Riviera” – fol-lowing Phuket, Koh Samui and Bali – will be created from scratch.

Koh Rong Island - Cambodia

INTERNATIONAL NEWS


21INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Swiss-Garden Hotel & Residences Kuala Lumpur inaugurated a new brand element with the recent launch of the taxi campaign. The campaign was initiated to introduce the new residences, slated to be ready by early 2011, alongside with the Ministry of Tourism’s effort to enhance service standards. A collaboration effort with Bonus Tours & Travels and Limo Cab, the taxi cam-paign was successfully held on the 10th of August 2010 at the hotel drive way.

More than 30 taxi drivers lined the hotel driveway while Ms Lily Chiok, Vice-President of Business Development of Swiss-Garden International and General Manager, Mr Rayan Komatt installed the car stickers onto the taxis. The event followed with distribu-tion of goodie bags to the taxi drivers as a token of appreciation by Operations Manager, Mr Samuel Wong.

“We believe taxi drivers are the best brand ambassadors as they have daily interactions with guests and the tourists alike”, said Mr Rayan Komatt, General Manager of Swiss-Garden Hotel & Residences Kuala Lumpur. He also added that taxi drivers are the perfect spokesperson due to their mobility and accessibility around Kuala Lumpur.

According to the Department of Homeland Security announced trav-ellers visiting the US from visa waiver countries, such as Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Australia, will now have to pay USD$14 from 8th September 2010. The fee will be charged when they apply for an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA).The new levy is to help fund the Corporation for Travel Promotion, created when the 2009 Travel Promotion Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama earlier this year. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said: “Creating a tourism promotion programme to encourage international visitors to vacation in America will help spur economic growth and create more jobs.” The initiative has the potential to create 40,000 new jobs and gener-ate US$4 billion in new visitor spending, predicts think tank Oxford Economics. Should this happen, the Congressional Budget Office believes the federal budget deficit will shrink by US$425 million in the next 10 years.Travel and tourism is the top services export for the US, totaling US$120 billion and supporting more than one million American jobs. Overseas visitors spend an average of US$4,000 per person per trip in the US.

Swiss-Garden Hotel KL launches taxi campaign

New fee for visitors from US Visa Waiver countries

Swiss - Garden hotel - Kuala lumpur

http://www.la-residence-hue.com/

INTERNATIONAL NEWS


For the first time in its history, New Caledonia will host the Melanesian Arts Festival, cel-ebrating the traditional and contemporary arts

from all the countries of the region.

Ten years after holding the 8th Festival of the Pacific Arts and on the eve of the 2011 Pacific Games, hosting the Melanesian Arts Festival promises to be a cultural, technical and economical challenge for the entire country and its people.

Every festival, since the very first event was held, has always been organized around a particular theme that expresses the spirit in which the host country wishes to greet its visitors. From 12-24 September 2010, a thousand festival at-tendees from New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Vanuatu will come to share their talent and experiences with the public.

The great innovation for the 2010 event will involve four ‘outrigger canoes’ that will travel from the village of Kone, through the entire length of New Caledonia, passing through the eight customary land tenures of the Territory to finish their trip on 24 September 2010, in Noumea on New Caledonia’s citizenship celebration day.

The Festival Opening will be held on 12 September 2010 in Kone, on account of the economic and sym-bolic significance of this community. Indeed, it was on the beach of Lapita, near Kone, where the first remnants of the Lapita civilization were found: the original and historic connection linking the different populations of Melanesia.

Following this first stage of the event, the festi-val attendees will be divided into four groups of ‘outrigger canoes’ composed of members of each delegation. They will travel to the four following destinations:

• One outrigger canoe to Hienghene and Canala,• One outrigger canoe to Bourail and La Foa,• One outrigger canoe to Lifou, Mare and Ouvea• One outrigger canoe to Noumea.

After spending about three days at each location, all the outrigger canoes will head back to Noumea.

The following activities will be held in each hosting communities:

• Performing Arts: concerts, dance, modern the-atre, traditional expressions (choir, music, dances, songs, instruments ...) etc.• Visual Arts: contemporary visual arts, cinema, video art etc.• Handicrafts and traditional knowledge: fash-ion, food, games, hunting and fishing techniques, medicinal plants, etc.• Workshops and forums: Music and Copyright (symposium with the South Pacific Commission), language and identity (with the Kanak language academy), policies and custom (with the Custom-ary Senate).

New

Ca

ledonia

to host Mela

nesian A

rts Festival

22


The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has released its financial results for the half year to 30 June 2010, with solid performance due to their leadership position in Greater China.

“Trading strengthened as the first half pro-gressed with global Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) up 3.9 percent overall and 7.4 percent in the second quarter. Asia is

leading the recovery with Greater China re-porting RevPAR up 29.4 percent in the half,” Chief Executive of IHG, Andrew Cosslett said.

Greater China’s strong regional perfor-mance was boosted by the Global Expo in Shanghai where RevPAR grew 48.4 percent.

“Rates are now stabilising across the world,

with most markets seeing rate growth towards the end of the first half. The eco-nomic environment does remain uncertain, however, with short booking windows and limited visibility,” Mr Cosslett said.

The growth was driven by strong occupancy rates, with business travellers returning in greater number. Efforts during the economic downturn to reduce costs, drive revenue and build the strength of IHG’s system and brands helped to accommodate this growth, according to Mr Cosslett.

“In the first half we signed 130 hotels and opened 148, despite the tough financing environment. The quality of these new hotels is exceptionally high, particularly in China where both our pipeline and system of open hotels are skewed towards more upscale developments.”Total gross revenue from all hotels in IHG’s system was $8.9bn, up nine percent at con-stant currency.

Recent additions bring IHG’s total system to 656,661 rooms across 4,503 hotels, an increase of four percent. IHG also signed a further 19,126 rooms over 130 hotels, taking the pipeline to 197,431 rooms across 1,302 hotels.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 23

Greater China drives IHG’s half year results

Willard Intercontinental Hotel - Washington DC

http://www1.messe-berlin.de/vip8_1/website/Internet/Internet/www.itb-asia/englisch/index.html

INTERNATIONAL NEWS


24

Eight events to be held across Thailand

INTERNATIONAL NEWS


The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will organise eight special events around the theme of the famous Thai smile in a bid to rebuild the good image of Thai

tourism and facilitate the return to normalcy following the recent political distur-bances.

Ms Pensuda Priaram, the TAT’s Deputy Governor for Tourism Products and Business, said these activities is designed to help restore the liveliness of the Thai capital and the provincial areas, rebuild confidence among foreign tourists and promote domes-

tic tourism. Details of the events are as follows: “Smile@Siam” was held from 14 to 15 August 2010 during 10.00-22.00 hrs at Bang-kok’s Siam Square shopping district and adjacent areas. It was a golden opportunity for shoppers to purchase brand name products at discounted prices.

The first Smile in the Park (Musical in the Park) will be held from 21 to 22 August 2010 during 11.00-21.00 hrs at Lumpini Park, Bangkok.

International Taste 2010 Amazing Thailand will be held from 10 to 12 September 2010 at Fountain Courtyard, Siam Paragon and Bangkok.

“Smile@Khao San Road” which will be held from 11 to 12 September 2010 during 16.00-24.00 hrs at the popular backpacker area Khao San Road and Soi Rambudtree, Bangkok.

The second Smile in the Park (Musical in the Park) will be held from 18 to 19 Sep-tember 2010 during 11.00-21.00 hrs at Benjakitti Park, Bangkok.

Thai Tourism Festival @Udon Thani will be held from 27 to 29 August 2010 during 11.00-23.00 hrs at UD Town, Udon Thani province.

Thai Tourism Festival @Surat Thani will be held from 3 to 5 September 2010 during 11.00-22.00 hrs at Surat Thani Cooperative Office, Punpin district in Surat Thani.

Thai Tourism Festival @Suphan Buri which will be held from 24 to 26 September 2010, during 10.00-22.00 hrs at Suphan Buri Provincial Stadium in Suphan Buri.

The events in the three provinces are aimed at boosting domestic tourism between the regions and contributing to a better distribution of tourism income across the country.

TAT expects that these events will help both domestic and foreign tourists further enjoy their shopping, entertainment and sight-seeing experience.

25

Eight events to be held across Thailand

AVIATION NEWS


28

http://tca.gfcexpo.com/


AVIATION NEWS 27

Passengers must present their self-printed boarding passes for confirmation at least 45 minutes prior to departure time.Le Hoang Dzung, Vietnam Airlines spokesman, said in the trial run the service was implemented suc-cessfully in domestic flights from Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. From August 16, the service will be applied for international flights which depart from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Vientiane in Laos, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in Cambodia, Seoul and Pusan in the Republic of Korea and Kuala Lum-pur in Malaysia.

Vietnam Airlines offers online check-in services

THAI Airways’ winter schedule sees the addition of new daily flights to Tokyo’s Haneda airport, increased fre-quency to Nagoya from daily flights to 10 weekly and to Fukuoka from five weekly flights to daily services. The airline will also boost its Indian services, bumping up flights to Kolkata from five flights weekly to daily ser-vices and to Mumbai from daily to twice daily flights.Other service upgrades cover four extra weekly servic-es to Sydney to go up to 18 flights weekly; two additional weekly flights to Oslo to go daily; and one extra flight to Moscow going to four flights weekly.

THAI Airways announces winter schedule

AVIATION NEWS


28

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Air-ways is introducing a number of all-economy-class aircraft into its short-haul fleet, for the first time. In October, Etihad Airways will introduce two Airbus A320s with single cabins configured to car-ry 162 passengers, an increase of 42 from the current economy-class capacity in its two-class A320s. The all-economy-class aircraft, commencing in October, will initially operate to destinations with a low demand for premium traffic. The airline identified Al-exandria in Egypt, Colombo in Sri Lanka, Damascus in Syria, Doha in Qatar, and Calicut and Thiruvananthapuram in India as the markets with a high demand for economy traffic.The airline has plans to expand the all-economy fleet to 10 air-craft and involve more existing Etihad destinations.Etihad Airways CEO James Ho-gan said: “Our all-economy aircraft will allow us to offer a more competitive product in key markets in Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian Subcontinent, while maintaining the high standards of service we have become known for.”As well as the service, the airline said that the product will remain unchanged, with all-economy flights including seat back in-flight entertainment screens and hot and cold meals and beverag-es. Each seat in the all-economy-class aircraft will have a 32-inch pitch.Etihad Airways currently has 15 A320s in its fleet, with 35 more on order from Airbus.

Etihad Etihad introduces All-Economy-Class Aircraft on Short-Haul Routes


AVIATION NEWS 29

Tiger Airways is expanding its distribution network in Malaysia by more than 14,000 times with the introduction of e-pay.

Customers in Malaysia now have a convenient way to pay cash for their Tiger Airways flights.

Rosalynn Tay, Managing Director of Tiger Airways Singapore, said, “Our customers in Malaysia have been great supporters of our low, low fares. With e-pay, we bring a cash payment mode right to their doorsteps, making it more convenient for them to buy Tiger flights. We look forward to serving more passengers from Malaysia with our

powerful combination of low fares, convenience, and useful options such as Luggage UpsizeTM and boardmefirstTM.

Payment for Tiger Airways flights between Malaysia and Singapore can now be made using e-pay at the 4,000 Petronas kiosks across Ma-laysia. Over the next few months, this payment option will be rolled out to the remaining 10,000 e-pay outlets in convenience stores, phar-macies, and other retail outlets. After making bookings online, cus-tomers in Malaysia only need to select e-pay as the preferred pay-ment method, and make payment at an epay outlet within 6 hours.

Air Mekong gets jets for October

Tiger Airways Increases Distribution Channel in MalaysiaTiger Airways Increases Distribution Channel in Malaysia

Vietnamese startup carrier Air Mekong received four Canada-made planes chartered by US-based SkyWest Leasing Inc., another step to-ward the private airline’s launch of domestic services this October.The 100% Vietnamese carrier plans to launch operations with domes-tic flights on October 10. It is set to sell ticket as of mid-September. The planned services include Hanoi-Phu Quoc, Hanoi-Hochiminh City, Hanoi-Phu Quoc, and flights from Hanoi to Danang, Nha Trang, Dalat and routes from HCMC to Danang, Nha Trang, Dalat, Con Dao Island, Buon Ma Thuot, Hai Phong and Vinh.The carrier is waiting for approval from the Civil Aviation Administra-tion of Vietnam. Air Mekong has not announced its fares yet.

SkyWest, the parents company of SkyWest Leasing Inc., says it already invested US$7 million in a 30% stake of Air Mekong. SkyWest adds it has personnel on site to provide technical expertise. Air Mekong says it has recruited more than 40 pilots and is training 50 flight attendants.The carrier was set up in 2009 as the third private airline in Vietnam after Indochina Airlines and VietJet Air. Indochina has stopped opera-tions due to losses, while VietJet does not fly yet. Currently operational airlines in Vietnam are national carrier Vietnam Airlines, its subsidiary Vietnam Air Service Co. (VASCO), and Jetstar Pacific.

AVIATION NEWS


United Airlines and Continental Airlines revealed refinements to the visual branding for the new global airline that will result from the proposed merger between the two airlines.

The new logo dis-plays the combined company’s brand name in capital let-ters (UNITED) in a custom sans-serif

font, joined with the global mark which has represented Continental’s brand image since 1991.

A corresponding up-date of the combined airline’s aircraft liv-ery will adopt Conti-nental’s livery, colors and design, includ-ing its blue-gold-white globe image on the tail, combined with the new-style

UNITED name on the fuselage. Both airlines have earned strong brand recognition in one of the world’s most vis-ible and highly com-petitive businesses. The new visual iden-tity builds upon the significant value of each airline’s current brand, while advanc-ing the combined airline’s future brand image.

New United Airlines announce new brand identity

Tiger Airways reported strong passenger volumes and load factors in July 2010.From August 2009 to July 2010, a total of 5.4 million passengers chose to fly with Tiger Airways, an increase of 51% over the 3.6 million passengers who booked in the preceding 12 months. Average Load factors increased by 5 percentage points to an average of 86% of seats being filled from August 2009 to July 2010 compared to 81% in the previous 12 months.The number of passengers in July 2010 grew 42% over last year to 523,000. The average load factor across both airlines in Asia and Australia for the month was a very strong 89%.

Tiger Airways Reports Strong passenger volumes in July 2010

After a halt of more than two years and a half due to global economic downturn Vietnam Airlines resumed its direct flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Japan’s Nagoya.The national flag carrier operates two weekly flights on Mondays and Friday, using Airbus 321.With this re-launch-ing, the corporation expands its Japan network to eight routes connecting Vietnam’s Hanoi and Hochiminh City with four major cities in Japan namely Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka, with 45 flights weekly in all.

Vietnam Airlines re-launches HCM City-Nagoya air route

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AVIATION NEWS 31

Air China became the only airline partner of the 14th, 15th and 16th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT). From 2010 to 2012, Air China will provide sponsor resourc-es, the value of which will exceed RMB10 mil-lion, and will include cash and free tickets for international/domestic Air China flights.

The China International Fair for Investment and Trade, approved by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, will take place on 8-11 September every year in Xiamen, Chi-na. CIFIT focuses on national and international issues, investment negotiation and investment policy promotion, coordinated development of national and regional economies, and eco-nomic and trade exchanges across the Taiwan Strait. CIFIT is currently China’s only interna-tional investment promotion event aimed at facilitating bilateral investment. It is also the largest ever global investment event approved by UFI.

The 14th CIFIT will be staged simultaneously with the 2nd World Investment Forum, and in-clude 18 project matchmaking symposia and 30 forums and seminars. With its strong net-work and quality service, Air China will pro-vide airline carrier service to the 50,000 do-mestic and foreign merchants who will come from over 120 countries and regions, as well as 1,300 journalists from over 300 media.

Air China deputy director of the business de-partment, Mr. Zhu Songyan, said: “With the themes ‘Introducing FDI’ and ‘Going Global’, CIFIT reinforces China’s comprehensive strength and international influence to the world. As China’s only flag carrier, Air China will help to promote economic and trade ex-changes around the world, with our first-class network and services.”

About Air ChinaAir China is China’s only national flag carrier and a Star Alliance member. Using a fleet of 256 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, Air China runs 245 routes, serving 30 countries and regions. Thanks to the airline’s strong network, Air Chi-na’s route network is able to place 1172 desti-nations in 181 countries within its reach.

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AVIATION NEWS


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Beijing Capital International Airport is now ranked as the world’s third-busiest airport, overtaking Chicago, Tokyo and Paris.

The latest report by the Geneva-based Airports Council International has put Beijing Capital behind Atlanta and London’s Heathrow in terms of domestic and international passenger numbers in 2009.

Passenger traffic grew 16.9 percent year on year to 65.37 million last year, helping the facility jump five places to nudge Chicago from the third slot. And there is a possibility that it could also replace Heathrow in the number two slot later this year.In the first six months of the year, Beijing processed 35.5 million pas-sengers, up from 30.1 million in the same period last year. Meanwhile, Heathrow – due to the British Airways strikes and volcanic eruption in Iceland – shrank 3.5 percent year on year to 30.1 million.

Korean Air, South Korea’s flagship airline, announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2010 ended 3 June 2010, which hit high-record in terms of the operating revenue.

Thanks to the global economic recovery which spurred demand for both international passenger travel and cargo traffic, the airline posted an operating revenue of 2,836.4 billion KRW in the second quarter of 2010, a year-on-year increase of 36.7%, the highest second-quarter growth in Korean Air’s history. International passenger and cargo businesses re-mained the major revenue contributors for the airline, accounting for 47%

and 36% of the operating revenue respectively. Operating profit of the air-line returned to the black from a loss of 127.3 billion KRW in the second quarter of 2009 to a surplus of 352.1 billion KRW during the reporting pe-riod. Profit margin was 12.4%, a significant year-on-year improvement and another historic record.

For the six months ended June 30, 2010, the airline recorded operating revenue of 5,435.4 billion KRW, up 25.3% year-on-year, while operating profit reached 572.3 billion KRW, up from a loss of 120.7 billion KRW com-paring with the first half of 2009.

Beijing Capital Airport ranked world’s third busiest hub

Korean Air achieves strong growth in the second quarter

AVIATION NEWS


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http://tca.gfcexpo.com/

DO YOU KNOW


1 Gift Giving

Giving and receiving gifts is cus-tomary in Taiwan. The Taiwanese appreciate gifts that connote so-phistication and prestige. Instead of buying baseball caps for your new friends, chocolates or cigarettes might be a better choice. Also, since it is considered rude to open a gift immediately, don’t be surprised if your gift is put aside until the recipient can open it in private.

2 Business Cards

Business cards, or mingpien, are an important part of everyday life in Taiwan. Most businesses, schools, and individuals have cards, and people exchange them like hand-shakes. English teachers find cards helpful in obtaining new private clients. If you can’t read Chinese, make a note on the back as to each card’s origin, or you’ll soon find yourself with piles of illegible mingpien. Mingpien are ideal for finding shops or night spots that are located in confusing areas; simply get in a cab and point at the ad-dress on the card.

3 Paper

Always use two hands when hand-ing paper to someone (including business cards). It is considered rude to offer paper with one hand, especially if the recipient is a superior.

4 Removing Shoes

You will be expected to remove your shoes when you enter a Tai-wanese home. The reason is more practical than traditional, since it helps to keep the inside clean. Slippers will sometimes be avail-able, but if you have large feet, they won’t be an option. Always wear presentable socks when invited to someone’s home for dinner.

5 T i p p i n g

You should tip service people such as porters and hair stylists, but don’t tip taxi drivers or in restaurants. Larger restaurants will add a 10 percent service charge and a 5 per-cent value-added tax to your bill.

6 Boasting vs. Modesty

It is considered very impolite to boast in Taiwan. Always make sure to compliment people on anything that are worth noting. Conversely, when receiving a compliment, you are expected to play down your at-tributes and prowess. When some-one compliments your language ability, for example, have a standard response ready.

7 Death

Death is a taboo subject in Taiwan, so avoid it. Also, white, not black as in the United States and Canada, is the color associated with death.

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7 Taiwanese Customs to know whenever

visiting Taiwan

BUSINESS ADVICE


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Totally broke and dying to get out of town? Looking for some adventure without breaking the bank? This article will explore some ideas for how you can travel as cost-effectively as possible, perhaps even for free. The key is do some research and be flexible!

• Hitchhiking: It’s generally safe if you do it during the day• Canoe: If you have one and the weather is good.• Take a bicycle ride. You don’t move as far as a car in one day, but you cover more territory than walking, see the countryside up close and meet interesting people. • Motorcycle or scooter: If you have one already, it’s just about the cheap-est way to propel yourself over long distances. If you don’t have one, look into the cost of renting and compare it to the next few options.• Buses and trains: You’ll need to check the fares for the trip you have in mind to determine how cost-effective it is.• Driving: If you don’t have a car, you’ll have to rent one, which can get pretty pricey. However, there are several ways to push down the cost of driving:- Sleep in your car: This will save you money on lodging, unless you were going to secure free lodging anyway.- Hyper mile: If you follow the techniques carefully, you can save plenty of money on gas.

1, Choose a mode of travel that fits within your budget and which you are comfortable with. Here are your options, from the cheapest to the most expensive:

BUSINESS ADVICE


2, Plan where you will sleep

3, Plan how you will eat:

4, Brainstorm ways to make money on the road, if you need to

• Can you play an instrument? An afternoon of busking on a busy city street may get you some cash to buy a meal or gas to get you to your next destination. • Panhandle: Please note that pan-handling is illegal in some places. • Farm labor: Go to websites that list farms and farm work opportuni-ties and look for operations in the areas you plan to travel through. Call in advance and ask if you can work for a full day. If they can’t give you cash, maybe they’ll give you food and/or lodging.

• Sleep in your car: Many interstate rest areas allow over-night parking. Vans, pick-up trucks with camper tops, and even small hatchbacks with the rear seat folded down can make comfy beds. • Go camping: In state and national parks in the US, campsites are often cheap, or even free. • Look for hostels: This dorm-style lodging is usually cheaper than motels.

Generally, the less prepared food you buy, the better.

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BUSINESS ADVICE


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• Most major cities have all types of free entertainment and services; which can be found, depending on where you live: - Museums are free on certain days of the month or if you have a student id. - You can see free movie screenings if you know where to look and how to sign up. - Sign up for free coupon offers and take the coupons with you on your trip. - There are free medical clinics in many major cities.• Free food coupons can be found.

• A comfortable bag: You might need to do a lot of walking, so choose a back pack and make sure it has support straps across your hips and shoulders, and the straps should be padded.• A folding bike: A portable bike could be a sensible investment for if you need to travel from your campsite or the place you’re staying to a local grocery store, or so you can explore areas easily when you’re not hitchhiking. • Baby wipes: You may not have daily and immediate access to a suit-able shower. Baby wipes will allow you to freshen up easily. • Camp stove: This is handy for making your own food anywhere.

5, Bring helpful tools and supplies

6, Scour freebie websites before you leave.

MEDICAL TOURISM


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T he understanding of cultural issues in Medical Tourism (Global Healthcare) is a two way process argues Dr Prem Jagyasi, a renowned Medical Tourism expert and consultant. Several Medical Tourism organizations be-

lieve that Understanding Culture in Medical Tourism is a one way process, and that they only need to understand patient’s cultural beliefs and behaviors. However, it is also necessary for a patient to understand the culture and behavior of the destination. The provider should take the responsibility of making cultural documents related to their destination available to patients.

In simple language, cultural diversity can be understood in many different ways. It is often referred to as the mixture of dif-ferent human groups, societies, or cultures in a specific geography, or in the Globe (as a whole). The diversity could also be understood by differences in race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or language among various groups within a community, organization, or nation. Individual values, beliefs, customs, traditions and backgrounds also bring cultural diversity.

The ultimate objectives of cultural understanding in Medical Tourism are to: creating a better outcome which minimizes gaps, understanding and building awareness of applications, avoiding any miscommunication or misunderstanding arising from cultural disbeliefs and providing more positive results with a higher satisfaction rate. Such processes requires meticulous understanding about what impact cultural disbelief could have on a healthcare practice and understanding patient needs and delivery of healthcare services.One of the key challenges in Medical Tourism is language barriers. It has always been my belief that instead of a general lan-guage translator to interpret medical related jobs, it is necessary to have a translator that understands medical terminology. The use of medical jargon can easily -- and unknowingly -- lead to misinformation and incorrect Interpretations that may have an adverse impact on a patient’s health. Avoiding medical jargon is essential to ensuring the concise exchange of information between patients and physicians. When a patient does not understand the jargon, the quality of that patient’s care may be jeop-ardized and the comprehension of the physician’s message is diminished. The responsibility to ensure that patient and physi-cian understand one another rests with the physician. It is often pointed out that physicians with wonderful bedside manners and poor outcomes are sued less frequently than physicians with poor bed-side manner and wonderful outcomes.(MJCC)For instance, let’s understand the cultural needs of Muslim patients.

What is Cultural Diversity?

Why Patient and Healthcare Provider Need Cultural Understanding?

By Dr. Prem Jagyasi

Unde

rstanding

Culture

in

Medical Tourism


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Food ServicesAll catering staff should be aware that only halal meat (i.e. meat slaughtered according to religious requirements) must be given to Muslim patients. They should also be aware that Muslims do not eat pork or any other pig meat and its byproducts. Also, hand washing before and after meals is particularly important to Mus-lims.

Clinical or Nursing CareIt is preferable for a female Muslim to be cared for by females and a male Muslim by males. This is most important during con-finement when strict privacy is very essential. Only female health workers should be present and exposure should be kept to a minimum.

AlcoholAlcohol and any other intoxicating substances are pr ohibited in Islam. Where a choice exists, medicines containing alcohol should not be used. In emergencies, this rule does not apply if an alternate drug is not available, but this should be explained to the patient. If the medication is necessary, then Islam permits its use.

Maternity Services after DeliveryThe placenta should be offered to the parents for disposal by burial in accordance with Islamic tradition.

Understanding Complex Cultural NeedsToday, there is great receptiveness towards Medical Tourism. When patients are travelling overseas, there is an emergence of new consumers and they show a completely different behavior pattern. As a result of developments in communication tools, in-formation technology, and increased social media exchanges, they have been exposed to different cultures and developed new ideas and viewpoints. Today’s consumer has been exposed to different cultures, devel-oped new ideas and cultivated modern viewpoints. They have multiple demands, often borrowed from other cultures, seasoned with personal beliefs. The new self-sufficient consumer has be-come more individualistic and requires more customized and highly developed services; greater choice, quality, and variety and good value. Today’s consumers truly have become global; their demands have multiplied because of broad cultural expo-sure.Such complex needs require customized solutions; the ‘one size fits all mottos’ can’t work here. There should be a comprehensive system in place to educate patients as well as healthcare provid-ers about cultural beliefs, dissimilarities and needs.

ConclusionGlobalization across all sectors has brought complex cultural needs, in an already culturally diverse world. Understanding cul-ture and behavior was important in healthcare to provide com-prehensive care with a delightful experience, but it has certainly become essential in Medical Tourism as patients arrive with different cultural beliefs and from different geographies. Under-standing of Culture in Medical Tourism is a two way process as the patient needs to understand the destination’s cultural beliefs as much as providers need to know and understand the patient’s cultural beliefs.

History of the bridge

www.littleorienttravel.com