Using a business website builder can ensure that both new and returning customers are greeted with a friendly, easy-to-navigate and efficient platform for making online purchases. However, a website with an intuitive user interface is only half the battle, as generating traffic and having a positive reputation online can be essential if a business is to grow. What are the best practices for capturing the attention of potential customers in an age of information overload? Have a strong social media presence According to the analytics firm Searchmetrics, one of the biggest factors in deciding the ranking that a website has on Google search results is the number of shares that the business has on Facebook. Because of this, generating a social media buzz by offering regular competitions on your Facebook page (perhaps by offering a prize draw for everyone who shares one of your posts) can be a great strategy. Even if it doesn’t bring any advantages from a search-engine optimization perspective, this practice could still bring visitors to your… Read More »
Google Game: First foreign visitors to HCM City on New Year’s Day 2013
HCM City on January 1 welcomed 465 air passengers travelling from Germany and Hong Kong. Among them were 315 passengers aboard Vietnam Airlines aircraft VN120 from Frankfurt, Germany, and 150 others aboard Cathay Pacific Airlines CX 767 aircraft from Hong Kong. They were happy being welcomed by city authorities and impressed by the beauty of Vietnam and the hospitability of local people. The city’s tourism industry is trying to improve the quality of services, diversify products, ensure visitor safety, and keep service prices stable. In 2012 HCM City received 3.8 million foreign tourists, representing a year-on-year increase of 8.5 percent, and accounting for 56 percent of the total number of foreign visitors to Vietnam. Its revenue reached VND68 trillion, or 42 percent of the country’s total revenue from tourism services.
Art – Visa fee hike may hit tourism hard
A hike in the one-time visa fee from US$25 to US$45 taking effect next year, coupled with a tentative plan to remove the visa exemption policy for tourists from certain countries, may deliver a blow to Vietnam’s tourism, an industry source said. Vu The Binh, chairman of the Vietnam Travel Association, said on Tuesday that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism was collecting comments on whether to stop visa exemption to tourists from seven countries, including South Korea, Japan, Russia and four countries in northern Europe. If such a move goes as planned, Vietnam’s tourism will be adversely affected, Binh told the Daily. The visa exemption policy, according to Binh, needs to be maintained as it contributes to Vietnam’s high tourism growth, and so does the current visa fee from Vietnam travel news. One million tourists from Japan and South Korea have come to Vietnam this year, and the number of Russian tourists has also increased strongly, so the removal of visa exemption may lead tourists from these countries… Read More »
PixelClub – “Feeling the pulse” of Vietnam tourism
The gloomy picture of the development of the tourism industry of Vietnam has been defined at the consultation meeting on the state management of tourism recently, held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Hanoi. How to stimulate tourism in the difficult economic context is still a difficult problem for the non-smoke industry. In the current context of economic difficulties, tourism is considered the highlight with around 6.7 million foreign visitors (up by 11 percent), 32.5 million domestic visitors (up 7 percent) and the total revenue of VND160 trillion (up 16 percent), Vietnam travel news reported. However, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh said that the growth rate of tourism industry was relatively high in the last three years, but its development is unsustainable, unstable and not commensurate with the potential, particularly the competitiveness is low compared to many countries in the region. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky, General Director of Vietravel, resource planning for tourism development is not good, leading to more resources being destroyed,… Read More »
GameClub – Vietnam can still dig the raw madness of the Nha Trang Booze Cruise
While some travelers to Vietnam complain that the country’s tourist industry pales in comparison to those of other Southeast Asian destinations, I for one am glad that newcomers to Vietnam can still dig the raw madness of the Nha Trang Booze Cruise. I was recently placed in the unenviable position of having to entertain an American who came to visit me and my girlfriend, who have been living in Ho Chi Minh City for about a year. We love this friend, don’t get me wrong, but her trip overlapped with her birthday and she desperately wanted the occasion to include a uniquely magical experience. Without the time to go to Ha Long Bay, or crossover into Cambodia and see the temples of Angkor Wat, we decided to take her to good old Nha Trang. I prayed the booze cruise peddled by every hotel and travel agency there would be just as ridiculous as I remembered it. Foolishly, I believed it might have taken on a more sophisticated air. Thank God… Read More »
PhotoBlog – Vietnam emerges as new favorite of British tourists
Vietnam travel is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for British tourists, according to a new report released by the UK’s Post Office. According to the Post Office Travel Money’s Fastest Growing Currencies report for June-August, the Vietnamese dong was the fastest-growing foreign currency in the United Kingdom this past summer, Vietnam travel news. The Fastest Growing Currencies review by the Post Office, a retail postal service company that provides postal and banking services in the UK, measures demand for travel to global destinations of British holidaymakers based on currency sales. The annual review revealed a year-on-year growth of 68 percent in currency sales – suggesting a boom in Vietnam holidays, fuelled by the introduction of direct flights last December and a host of new beach resorts. National carrier Vietnam Airlines began service between Gatwick and Hanoi in December 2011, the first direct flights to Vietnam from Britain, reducing the journey by several hours. Another reason for the sharp increase of Britons vacationing in Vietnam is the recent opening of new… Read More »
BooThemes – Hue hosts annual handicrafts fair during traditional festival
Porcelain, jewelry, scupltures and embroidery are displayed at the Craft Village Fair. The Viet Nam Craft Village Fair 2009 and the Viet Nam Handicraft Contest will be held at Thuong Bac Park, the former imperial city of Hue, from June 10 to 14. It would be the first time Hue had hosted the events. They would be part of the city’s Traditional Craft Festival 2009, said Agriculture and Rural Development Deputy Minister Diep Kinh Tan yesterday. Previous fairs were held in Ha Noi but would take place throughout Viet Nam from this year to promote the exchange of regional products, he said. Acclaimed porcelain, jewellery, brass ware, sculptures, wooden products and embroidery would be on display. The fairs were intended to create opportunities for artisans to exchange knowledge, advertise their products, seek partners, sign contracts, transfer technology and promote trade, he said. Forums that allow villages to share their ideas would be part of the five days. Artisans and craft villages would be honoured and visitors would have the chance… Read More »
BooMusicWorld – Ban Gioc Waterfall builds 4-star resort
A luxury resort with 60 rooms and 24 bungalows will be built next to the famous Ban Gioc Waterfall in Cao Bang Province. It is expected that the resort will open in late 2013. Saigontourist is one of Vietnam’s leading travel firms, last week held a ground breaking ceremony for the four-star Saigon-Ban Gioc Resort, in Dam Thuy Commune in the northern province of Cao Bang. The resort will cover an area of 31.15 hectares, including a 60-room hotel, 24 bungalows, a 200 seat restaurant, sports and entertainment complex, a conference area, a health spa and area for camping and outdoor activities from Vietnam travel news. The first phase of construction is expected to complete by late 2013. The investment for the project is about VND170 billion (US$8 million). Mr. Tran Hung Viet, General Director of Saigontourist, said the resort will encompass the natural surroundings of the area with enough open spaces for the guests to enjoy the view. The building material used will be bamboo, wood, thatch and stone… Read More »
