TRAVEL IN BRIEF 10/4

      Costa Classica makes maiden visit to Ha Long Bay
The five-star cruise ship Costa Classica arrived in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province on Monday, bringing in 1,600 tourists, mainly from Italy, France, Germany and the UK.
Costa Classica belongs to the Costa Crociere S.p.A Group and is part of the maritime tourism group, Carnival. It also owns the cruise ships Costa Allegra and Costa Marina that regularly bring tourists to Ha Long.
On its first call, Costa Classica’s passengers visited Ha Long Bay, Bai Chay beach and the Yen Tu area.
Earlier this month, Ha Long welcomed the five-star cruise ship Crystal Serenity from Bahamas with some 670 foreign visitors on board.
Beds on trains to cost more from HCM City and Ha Noi
As of June 1, 2009, the fares for berths on trains running between Ha Noi and HCM City to tourism spots like Nha Trang, Da Nang, Dieu Tri, Vinh, Dong Hoi and Hue will increase by 5 per cent on average.
Fares for hard seats will not change while fares for cushioned seats will be five per cent lower.
According to a recent decision by the Viet Nam Railway Corp, during June 1 to July 31, if passengers buy tickets 30-59 days before the date of departure will enjoy a 3 per cent discount; and those who buy them at least 60 days before the departure date will get a 5 per cent discount.
South Korea attracts Vietnamese tourists
RoK Travel companies have launched promotion campaigns to entice more travellers from Viet Nam. Hyo Sik-jeon, director of the RoK Tourism Promotion Office to Asia Pacific, said his office is working with Korean foreign affairs agencies to facilitate visa procedures for Vietnamese tourists.
According to Vo Anh Tai, director of Saigontourist Travel Service Company, under a promotion programme launched by the company, Vietnam Airlines and Korean partners, prices of tours to Seoul will be reduced by up to 40 per cent. A six-day tour from HCM City/Ha Noi to Seoul is down from US$1,600 to $911; and a four-day tour has fallen from $1,000 to 699.
South Korea received some 18,000 Vietnamese tourists while around 20,000 Koreans visited Viet Nam in 2008.
Caravelle hotel preps to celebrate middle age
The Caravelle Hotel will celebrate its golden jubilee on May 8. Renowned wartime journalist and Pulitzer-prize winner Peter Arnett will deliver the keynote address at the anniversary celebration, accompanied by Robert Wiener, another wartime journalist.
On this occasion, the hotel will cut its room rates by 50 per cent through 31 December 2009. The month-long discount will be in effect only for online bookings made at hotel website www.caravellehotel.com from May 1 to 31.
The Caravelle opened in 1959 and was renamed Doc Lap (Independence) in 1975. In October of 1992, the Saigontourist Holding Company teamed up with Glynhill Investment Viet Nam as a joint investment partner to form a new company called Chains Caravelle Hotel Joint Venture Company that sought to revive the landmark property.