TRAVELLIVE MAGAZINE Travellive 10-2016 | Page 137

GENERAL NEWS BA RIA - VUNG TAU  From November 13th-15th, 2015, Ha Giang Buckwheat Flower Festival will take place in Ha Giang Province. The festival will be held for the first time to promote the buckwheat flower as a tourist brand of the Ha Giang Province. The opening ceremony is themed "The karst plateau - thousand blooming flowers". Many cultural activities will also be organized in the frame work of the festival, such as the night of buckwheat wine and photo exhibition of the buckwheat flower. This occasion, visitors will have the opportunity to visit other attractions such as Nho Que River, Ma Pi Leng mountains and Vuong family's Villa.  My Son Tourist and Monuments Management Board has announced an offer to guests, there are helicopter services to enjoy the panoramic beauty of this World heritage. The helicopter will take visitors through Hoi An before landing at Khe The (My Son). The rate is USD 3,250 per hour for 6 guests. Moreover, My Son invests more in electric vehicles, shortening the travel time from the entrance to resorts to 5 minutes.  Da Nang's tourism stimulus program will run from December 2015 until March 2016, and during high tourism season (in December 2015. Currently, around 96 hotels, tour operators, tourist service points, spa and restau rants across the city have signed up for the program. Under the program, visitors can enjoy from 10% to 65% discounts on rooms and services. The ticket prices to tourist sites such as the Museum of Cham Sculpture, Ngu Hanh Son Scenic Site and VINPEARL SAFARI Hoa Phu Thanh tourist area will be reduced from 10% to 50%. Visitors are also offered 10%-50% exemption on leisure sports and services such as snorkeling, parachuting and jet skiing on Son Tra and My Khe Beach. Other privileges include skin-care services, mineral mud baths, spa and massages.  As the host of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2020, Tokyo aims to welcome 15 million visitors by promoting its tourist policy. At a press conference held in HCM City, the city's representatives also provided more useful information for visitors who are going from Vietnam to Japan in the coming years. Tokyo is always a tourist pioneer with new styles combining traditional and modern features. For more information, please visit www.gotokyo.org.  Singapore Ministry of Health has removed the ban on HIV infected people, which has existed for 20 years. These HIV infected people are allowed to stay up to 3 months. Guests who enter Singapore for a short time must have a passport that is valid within 2-4 weeks, then they may extend it to three months. Passport holders are not allowed to work in the city. Other countries like Australia and New Zealand have instituted the same policy for HIV infected guests staying long-term.  Public wifi will be available in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, serving more than 1,000 people a day. Initially, S-WiFi transceivers will be installed at Bai Truoc EXBEERIENCE FEST VIETNAM Beach and Hydrofoil Pier and outdoor leisure centers, cafes and restaurants. The average radius is over 100m.  The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAA) has issued a document on the adjustment of the ceiling bracket passenger transport services. The domestic aviation service price will be cut by an average of 4%. The price is reduced due to recent falls in fuel prices. The adjustment is valid from October 1st, 2015.  From November 1st, 2015, passengers will be allowed to purchase duty-free goods onboard their international flights bound for Vietnam. In order to buy the tax-free goods during their flights to Vietnam, passengers are required to present their passport and boarding pass, whereas the flight attendants will take full record of their information such as their names and the numbers of their passport, flight, and seat. Such information will later be made availble for buyers, retailers and customs.This new regulation will brings more advantages to businesses and customers.  Property giant Vingroup has announced the animal conservation program, Vinpearl Safari. The group said Vinpearl Safari would help carry out research, educational activities and fundraising for wildlife conservation, enhance public awareness and develop nature tourism in Viet Nam. Vingroup also plan to build a Vinpearl safari park in Bai Dai (Long Beach), Gianh Dau Commune, Phu Quoc, Kien Giang. The park will EVEREST DISCOVERY feature a zoo and night safari with nine theme areas based on different regions in the world.  exBEERience Fest Vietnam will take place from November 11th to 15th at Vivo City, Dist. 1, HCMC. Taking part in the festival are representatives of famous beer brands, namely Stout, Wheat, Larger, Ale, Cider and more. Also, visitors joining the festival can enjoy unique flavors of wasabi and astronaut beer.  Quang Tri Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is evaluating the special national relics of Vinh Linh tunnel village and Vinh Moc tunnels and to ask UNESCO to recognize them as world cultural heritages. This tunnel complex is valuable in terms of military, architecture and art when opening an underground life in the village with water wells, halls and kitchens.  The Nepalese authorities plan to introduce restrictions on amateur climbers, as well as people with disabilities, the very young and the elderly. The tourist department wants to ensure minimal amounts of accidents for visitors as well as reduce the increasing number of people climbing to the highest mountain of the world. Nepal says it will only grant Everest permits to those climbers aged 18 to 75 who can prove they've already scaled mountains that are higher than 6,500 meters. However, authorities have also been met with criticism over this plan.  The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Danang has announced to open three river tours to attract tourists. Accordingly, the Han Rivers - Co Co River tour will bring travelers to the cultural village K20, Avalokitesvara Temple, Ngu Hanh Son, and stone carving village. The route of Cu De River - Truong Dinh will lead visitors to Nam O cultural cluster including Gieng co (ancient well), Tien hien tomb, Bo Bo temple, and Nam O fish sauce village. With the tour of Han River - Tuy Loan, travelers can visit Cam Ne mat village and Tuy Loan village temple. TRAVELLIVE 137