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A
ccording to Pham Ha, chief ex-
ecutive and founder of Luxury
Travel - Vietnam’s first luxury
tour and travel operator - his
company served more than 10,000
high-end travellers who chose Indochi-
na in 2012. The Deputy Prime Minister
of Canada, French ministers, the Omani
royal family and ministers of Oman, as
well as ambassadors of many countries
were among the company’s guests.
The average cost of a luxury tour
ranges from $2,500 to $3,500 per per-
son for a seven-days, while some cost
upwards of $1,000 per day.
In 2013, Luxury Travel expects 30
per cent growth. Ha says he is confi-
dent of this growth because “high-end
travellers still have money and time,
and they can travel even during the
financial crisis.”
He also reports increased interest
in several key resorts, including An Lam
Ninh Van Bay villas near Nha Trang, Hy-
att Regency Danang, Intercontinental
Danang Resort, Fusion Maia Resort Hoi
An, Ana Mandara Hue and Emeralda
Ninh Binh.
“The next big upcoming destination
in Vietnam is the archipelago of Con
Dao, where Six Senses has developed a
resort. It is a 45 minute flight from Ho
Chi Minh City and offers the most beau-
tiful islands and settings in Vietnam,”
says Ha.
His high-end services are often
linked with MICE tourism, which in-
volves the organization of meetings,
incentives, conference and exhibitions,
serving customers who come to Viet-
nam for business, but would like to
make time for some exquisite, relaxing
travel as well.
It is thought that the traditional
MICE tigers of Southeast Asia, including
Singapore and Malaysia, have maxed
out their venue capacity, while Laos
and Cambodia still lag behind. Mean-
while, Vietnam is becoming the new
MICE hub of Asia, for both regional and
global MICE visitors.
In late December 2012, Luxury Trav-
el announced its predictions for the top
five high-end travel trends in Vietnam for
2013: multi-generational family travel;
wellness and spa trips; active vacations;
river cruises; and customised travel.
20
timeout
Each year, more luxury
cruise ships dock at Vi-
etnam’s major ports and
ever more high-end
tourists choose to vaca-
tion here, but according
to industry insiders, the
luxury travel market is
still far from its peak. By
Paul Nguyen
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