TRAVEL IN BRIEF 27/3

      Tourism festival puts HCM City in the spotlight
The HCM City Tourism Festival 2009 will be held at the Dam Sen Park in District 11 between April 3 and 5.
The annual event, organised by the HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with the city’s Tourism Association, will include a tourism fair with 120 counters, a culinary fair featuring southern cuisine, the HCM City Tourism Golden Voice Contest, a game show called "HCM City spotlight of Asia" and a tourism photo exhibition.
Light off Hour takes Earth Hour a step further
Hoi An has decided to hold a monthly "Lights off Hour" on the 14th lunar night as it joins the Earth Hour Campaign 2009 organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
While the Earth Hour campaign calls for the switching off of lights for an hour, doing this every month will also be a new tourism attraction for the ancient town. As part of the Earth Hour campaign, all light bubs and unnecessary electrical appliances will be turned off in the city for one hour, from 8.30pm to 9.30pm tomorrow. Residents and tourists are encouraged to join the programme.
The new Lights off Hour is themed on previous events like "Night in the Ancient Town" and the "City without Motors" that have proved popular among visitors.
Garuda Indonesia plans direct service to HCM City
Garuda Indonesia has disclosed a plan to launch direct services to HCM City after more than five years of operating daily flights between Jakarta and HCM City via Singapore.
The Indonesian carrier would commence the direct Jakarta-HCM City service after the airline takes delivery of new aircraft including the Boeing B737-800 that it has already ordered from US plane manufacturer.
Currently there are around 70 weekly flights between HCM City and Singapore.
Nam Hai wins Best Destination Spa award
The Nam Hai has won one of this year’s Asia Spa&Wellness Gold Awards, less than a month after the introduction of a whole, new spa menu at the resort in Quang Nam Province.
The "Best Destination Spa" was voted on by a panel of judges comprising notable socialites, editors of regional spa publications, tour operators and spa enthusiasts. The resort owes its spa concept to GHM’s Corporate Director of Spa, Brenda Ramen, who drew from her travels in Asia to conceive rituals and select products.
InterContinental Westlake gets green recognition
The InterContinental Ha Noi Westlake hotel has achieved the prestigious Green Globe Benchmarked Bronze status under the globally-recognised Benchmarking programme.
The programme recognises the hotel’s commitment to operating to the world’s highest environmental standards by benchmarking its energy and water consumption, total waste production and community commitment, along with implementing an integrated environmental and social policy. The hotel has achieved Best Practice results in Water Saving, Waste Sent to Landfills, Waste Recycling, Community Contributions and Pesticide Products.