France sea tourism festival spotlights Vietnam
Update: Mar 26, 2009
Vietnam’s sea tourism potential will be under the spotlight at a festival scheduled to take place in Paris from April 28-29.

The festival, the first of its kind in France, will be jointly organised by Vietnam Airlines and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) and aims to introduce the country’s premier landmarks and tourist sites to foreigners, and realise the government’s goal to maintain economic growth, stimulate demand, and boost consumption and service exports.

Twenty-five tourism management agencies from sea tourism-rich provinces and cities, such as Khanh Hoa and Danang, will join leading hotel, travel and coastal resort businesses at the festival.

The France Chamber of Commerce and Industry and hundreds of investors and travel agencies from France and other European countries are expected to attend the event.

Local visitors will have the opportunity to better understand the traditional culture, land and people of Vietnam through a variety of performances, exhibitions and handicraft product displays, as well as activities featuring the daily life of coastal residents.

The festival is an invaluable opportunity for Vietnamese businesses to seek European partners, and particularly for BIDV to cooperate with the leading financial institutions of France and Europe

BIDV will host a seminar calling for investment in tourism projects in Vietnam. The bank has arranged more than USD2 billion for nearly 20 projects in popular coastal cities around the country, including Danang, Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa, Haiphong and Quang Ninh.

Vietnam Airlines General Director Pham Ngoc Minh says the event will help promote Vietnam to the European community, thereby increasing investment efficiency and the number of visitors to Vietnam.

In early February, Vietnam Airlines participated in the annual Brussels Tourism Fair in Belgium, where experts forecast that Asia, and Vietnam in particular, remain attractive destinations for European travelers.
VNA