The joint-venture travel firm Lanta-An Travel will welcome 116 well-to-do Russian tourists on a chartered flight this Thursday as part of the company’s program to receive dozens of more such flights in the next few months, said the company.

Elena Strunkina, general director of Lanta-An Travel, told the Daily on Monday that the special flight would travel from Moscow to Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC. The tourists would then be transferred to the resort city of Phan Thiet.

These are the first Russian tourists coming on a chartered flight arranged by the company in this high season, which normally lasts from end-October until late March, she said.

“This is the first chartered flight catered to by our company (in this season). These tourists will travel to Phan Thiet shortly after their arrival in HCMC,” she said.

She said the number of Russian tourists at Lanta-An is increasing.

“Russian tourists are still traveling in the economic downturn. They are eyeing Vietnam as an attractive destination after familiar destinations in the Asian region like Thailand,” she said.

Along with chartered flights from Moscow, the company will receive more such flights from Novosibirsk this season.

Hoang Thi Phong Thu, chairwoman of the company, said Lanta -An would receive Russian tourists from 31 chartered flights in this high season. Each flight will bring around 120 to 150 travelers.

* Local tour operators do not expect a Government decree on right-hand-drive cars to increase the number of foreign visitors to the country.

Effective November 15, the new Decree 80/2009/ND-CP says that right-hand-drive cars must be used in groups. Each group will be led by a local car arranged by an organization.

Such vehicles can travel in Vietnam for 30 days. In cases of unforeseen circumstances, drivers can extend their permits by ten days. Cao Tri Dung, director of Vitours in Danang, said his company was preparing to receive groups of tourists to travel the country in their own vehicles. The new decree is not helping the company do business. It only regulates the use of right-hand-drive cars of foreigners while the travel firm needs regulations on left-hand-drive cars and motorcycles over 175cc for international tourists.

According to Dung, entrepreneurs need permission from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to receive groups of foreign tourists who travel to Vietnam in their own vehicles to travel through seven provinces from Nghe An to Quang Nam. The entrepreneurs should ask permission from the Prime Minister if the travel route expands to outside of the area. The Prime Minister will make a decision after receiving ideas from relevant ministries.

“The new decree does not mention left-hand-drive cars or motorcycles over 175cc. That’s why we think the procedures to receive such vehicles are not changed,” Dung said.

Tran Xuan Hung, director of Viking Travel and Media Company, shared Dung’s view. He said entrepreneurs needed clear rules about the vehicles of foreign tourists.

“We are preparing to make procedures for around 24 cars from Malaysia to Vietnam in December. I think the paperwork and the time to make procedures will not change,” he said.

N.B (Copy VietNamNet Bridge )