Travel agencies and hotels preparing for post-crisis period |Though the coincidence of global economic crisis and flu pandemic has cratered Vietnam’s tourist market, some tourism sector heavyweights have concluded that now the right time to restructure themselves, improve service quality, and launch marketing campaigns.
The five star Movenpick Saigon is spending $25 million on an 18 month upgrade to its rooms and services, focusing in particular on the hotel’s Nishimura, Café Saigon and Movenpick executive Dominik Stamm said that the Mulligan Bar will turn into a late night club. This move is in anticipation of guidance from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) allowing more four and five star hotel services to stay open till 2 am. Phan Huy Tien of the Berjaya - Hotay joint venture that owns the Sheraton Hanoi told VietNamNet that guests are scarce at most of Hanoi’s five star hotels. Only the Hanoi Hilton and the Melia come near filling their rooms. Though the Sheraton’s occupancy ratio fell to 47 percent in the first half of 2009, it is working hard on plans for the post crisis period. “We’re planning ahead for the recovery so we can come out of the gate fast, ahead of the competition, said Patricia Neo of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. We also believe that today’s reduced travel budgets, canceled meetings and ‘staycations’ (stay-at-home vacations) are tomorrow’s pent-up demand.” Starwood plans to open the Sheraton Nha Trang in November. The group has put into operation a telephone number (free of charge) which clients can use to book hotel rooms at 950 hotels run by Starwood worldwide. And launching marketing campaigns Travel agencies also say they are ready to receive the international tourists who will surge back to Saigontourist Director Vo Anh Tai said that his firm has been expanding Saigontourist’s system in Tai commented that other countries seem to have had a more rapid economic recovery and have better dealt with the flu pandemic than Expressing the same viewpoint, a Mexico Tourism Board official noted at a recent workshop that Baron Ah Moo of the Vietnam Business Forum’s tourism consultative group, says he was been told that the initial budget for promoting National Administration for Tourism General Director Nguyen Van Tuan told the workshop that his agency will focus in five areas to get ready for the recovery of tourism: 1/ continue the ‘Impressive Vietnam’ discounted services campaign; 2/ advertise Vietnam at home and abroad as a tourist destination; 3/ organize professional training; 4/ continue upgrading facilities and 5/ improving the quality of the tourism experience. Ha Yen - VietnamBridge Other news for Tuesday 01 September, 2009
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