The airlines southern director, Nguyen Thi Minh Yen, said the promotion, which begins on the same day as the International Travel Expo (ITE), would help to shore up tourism during tough economic times.
The ITE, the country's largest and most important tourism fair, will be held from October 1-3 at the Phu Tho Exhibition Centre in HCM City's District 11.
Tickets for Vietnam Airlines flights must be purchased from October 1-20. Requests for flight delays or cancellations will not be allowed.
At the tourism fair, 300 exhibitors will be showcasing the tourism potential of Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia to 150 participating travel agencies from 25 countries, including the US, Russia, Germany, mainland China, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.
Exhibitors are players in the hospitality industry, including governmental authorities, tour operators, transportation companies, hotels, restaurants, insurance companies, publications, business and conference facilities and recreation services, among others.
La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the city's Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism, said the event would familiarise guests with the "three countries in one destination" concept, which was agreed upon by the tourism ministers of Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia in 2007.
Boasting several UNESCO World Heritage Sites each, the three countries will offer tours that include stops at major sites like Cambodia's Angkor Wat, Viet Nam's Ha Long Bay and the former imperial city of Luang Prabang in Laos.
Deputy director Khanh said that despite the economic downturn, this year's event had managed to attract 50 more international buyers compared to last year.
"The event was carefully prepared down to the last detail," said Nguyen Van Tuan, director of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's representative office in HCM City.
The event also features an investment conference that brings together top tourism officials in the three countries and international investors to discuss strategies to develop Indochina's tourism potential and enhance its competitiveness.
The Tourism Alliance Award (TAA) will be also launched for the first time at the exposition.
A board of judges including industry experts will select 10 winners out of 100 nominees across 10 categories, including the best hotel, resort, restaurant, air carrier and tour operators, among others.
The awards aim to increase the overall standards of the hospitality industry in the region and to raise benchmarks to greater heights, according to the three countries' tourism associations, which are the organisers of the event.
VietNamNet/Viet Nam News
(Source: VietNamNet/SGT, http://english.vietnamnet.vn/travel/2009/09/869038/)
