Lam Dong looks to 1.5 million tourists from delta

Huynh Kim and Dao Loan

An ATR-72 aircraft of Vasco is ready for a maiden flight between Can Tho and Dalat on May 7 - PHOTO: HUYNH KIM

Vietnam Air Services Company (Vasco) operated its maiden flight on the route on May 7, carrying 67 passengers on an ATR-72 aircraft from the Mekong Delta city to Dalat.

“Our ambition is to raise the number of tourists from the Mekong Delta by 1.5 times,” said Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, deputy director of Lam Dong Province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. “Both localities should promote tourism products.”

Last year, Lam Dong attracted 4.8 million visitors, including one million from the Mekong Delta region.

According to surveys of the tourism department of Lam Dong Province and Vietravel, southern travelers are fond of Dalat but they are concerned about a 12-hour bus ride between the city and the Mekong Delta. Meanwhile, it takes only one hour to travel by air, she said.

Vasco aircraft conducts Can Tho-Dalat flights on Thursdays and Sundays in the initial time. One-way tickets start from VND999,000.

Vasco and partners will consider more flights between Can Tho and Dalat cities and more routes if the number of passengers increase in the next three months, Le Tuan Huy, director of Vasco in Can Tho City, told the Daily.

Vietravel and other travel agencies launched tours taking in Can Tho, Dalat, Nha Trang and Madagui Forest Resort with prices starting from less than VND3.2 million.

Last month, Vasco signed a partnership agreement with local tour operator Vietravel in Can Tho City for the air service launch with support of the governments of the two cities.

Nguyen Quoc Ky, general director of Vietravel, told a news briefing on April 23 that Vietravel would partner with other localities in the Mekong Delta region to promote new tours to further tap into tourism potential in the region.

Dao Anh Dung, vice chairman of Can Tho City, said the number of passengers going through Can Tho Airport had increased significantly. The airport handled 305,500 passengers last year, up 28% year-on-year, and 105,279 passengers in the first quarter of this year, rising by 18% against the same period last year.

Can Tho Airport was put into use in 2009. It now handles flights from and to Hanoi, Danang, HCMC, Phu Quoc Island off mainland Kien Giang Province, Con Dao Island off mainland Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province and Taiwan.

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