Daily Archives: September 25, 2012

Travel

Vietnam Fast-growing High-end holiday Destination for Aussies

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Vietnam now has world class hotels and resorts, beaches and cuisine, in addition to its natural beauty, rich history and traditional culture. The country receives 300,000 Australian tourists yearly, and the number of tourists increases an average of 10% annually.

Hanoi, Vietnam, September 24, 2012 – Australia is a very multicultural society and many Australians are familiar with Vietnamese food and culture. Australians travelling to Vietnam are looking for a more authentic experience and seek to have a deeper understanding of the country’s culture, food, history and everyday life.

While Thailand is geared more toward mass market tourism, Vietnam is a destination that is attractive to a more selective class of travelers. Vietnam is becoming more and more recognized as a safe and favored destination for high end Australian tourists, thanks to direct and convenient flights and improvements in the tourism infrastructure.

The new slogan of Vietnam tourism, “Timeless charm”, was created with an aim to attract travelers from Australia and elsewhere, who wish to experience the country’s defining characteristics: Thrills, nature, heritage, festival, pristine, enjoyment, scenery and essence.

Australia is in a strong financial position, with unemployment easing and low interest rates, plus a strong dollar. As long as the dollar remains near its current relative value, all overseas destinations remain attractive to Australian travelers.

“Australia is a great market for us and we have beautiful products for Australian tastes and preferences, and we target the right clients with personalized products and services. We have increased the number private small groups we serve, primarily with tailor made holidays. These groups are generally either from 25 to 35 years old or 40+, the latter group having more disposable income. Australian tourists choose Vietnam for their vacations for safety, affordable prices, authenticity and convenient direct flights. With our marketing efforts and commitments, we will attract more Australian travelers who wish to experience Vietnam in style and luxury, and encourage them stay longer. Typical stays are 10 or 14 days, and in 4 and 5 star hotels. With our new representative office in Australia for the Australian and New Zealand markets, we are targeting double digit growth in this market for 2013.” said Pham Ha, founder and CEO of Luxury Travel Ltd.

Australian market is among the top ten markets of Luxury Travel Ltd. The company serves 2% of total Australian tourist arrivals in Vietnam in 2011 and enjoys an increase of 20% in visitors annually. Luxury Travel Ltd.’s booking record indicates that Australian travelers prefer Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Hoi An Ancient Town. They also want to visit Halong Bay, Cat Ba Island, the Mekong Delta and Sapa, while many also combine Vietnam and Cambodia in one trip.

“Except for AIME in Melbourne, there are no major travel trade shows in Australia, so we have joined VNAT and Vietnam Airlines in their road shows to promote our upscale products. Our representatives work hard to promote destinations, educate local travel agents, and generate public interest in Vietnam as a holiday destination. To help our travel agents and tour operators to sell our Vietnam luxury tours, I invite travel professionals to do a 10 day familiarization trip to Vietnam. Participants receive a certificate confirming their status as a ‘Luxury Travel Specialist’ after the trip.” said Pham Ha. “This is the perfect way to learn more about Vietnam and some of the most dynamic new products available for 2012 – 2013. This tour blends innovative touring with hotel inspections to give agents insight into the destinations and become true luxury travel advisors.”

Hanoi–based Luxury Travel Ltd. (www.luxurytravelvietnam.com) has announced joint efforts with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) in order to promote luxury travel products in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia from 8 to 13 October, 2012. Luxury Travel Ltd. is a long established Asian specialist in luxury privately guided and fully bespoke holidays in Vietnam and the Indochinese Peninsula.

Contact:
David Nguyen
Sales and Marketing Manager
Luxury Travel Group Ltd
05 Nguyen Truong To Str.,
Ba Dinh Dist, Hanoi 84444
Vietnam
84439274120
marketing@luxurytravelvietnam.com
http://www.LuxuryTravelVietnam.com

Education

StudyAbroad.com Releases Results of New Survey; Findings Reveal Student Concerns, Market Growth Opportunities

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Financial concerns continue to be the largest barrier to study abroad; while use of financial aid has increased, nearly one in five students still do not know that it is an option

Chester, PA, September 24, 2012 – Results of a recent survey from StudyAbroad.com uncovered the top decision factors, concerns and interests of prospective study abroad students. Additionally, the data revealed market growth opportunities among high school students and post-graduates, as well as areas study abroad providers can improve, such as communicating financial aid options and inquiry response time. The survey of 850 prospective study abroad students was conducted in August.

According to the survey, more than one in four respondents (27 percent) cited location as the most important factor when considering a study abroad program, followed by subject (24 percent), when the program took place (20 percent), duration (16 percent) and program format (13 percent). In terms of location, the study reports that nearly two thirds of the top 20 countries are in Europe, and five are English-speaking. The top five countries by student interest are England, Spain, France, Italy and Australia.

The research also found that though study abroad is still most popular with undergraduate students, nearly half of those interested in study abroad either haven’t been to college yet or have already graduated, suggesting a market growth opportunity. 20 percent of the students surveyed were in high school and 23 percent had already graduated college. Programs that tailor their approach to target these markets will be better positioned to respond to this opportunity.

“As the last few years have seen, international experience is increasingly attractive to employers, so more and more students – and at varying stages of their educational career – are interested in spending time abroad to gain a global perspective,” said Chuck DelCamp, product manager at StudyAbroad.com. “This survey highlights key trends and offers valuable intelligence to help study abroad providers better serve students, as well as identifies areas of opportunity.”

One area of opportunity lies in financial aid education. The survey showed that students are still most concerned about the costs of study abroad. Among those who self-identified that they were “still deciding” on a program, 62 percent listed price as their primary hesitation. However, the data also show that there is an information gap when it comes to available financial aid. Though more than two thirds of students said they planned to or already used financial aid to study abroad, 19 percent of students said they “didn’t know I could” use financial aid, when asked. There is still room to improve financial education and bridging the disconnect between student perception and the reality of paying for their study abroad experience.

Other decision-making factors that come into play when students decide where to study abroad include the program’s focus, housing, the provider’s reputation or internship opportunities. The survey also found that by directly connecting with students, program providers can help students overcome these concerns by providing additional information. 51 percent of students who chose study abroad said they had received a personal phone call, email or mailing and that timely correspondence was “very important.” The survey discovered that students who are contacted directly by a program after submitting an inquiry are 21 percent more likely to enroll in a study abroad program. This is an area where providers could improve their service by personally contacting students and offering relevant and timely information.

For more information about the study or for a copy of the report detailing the complete findings, contact Chuck DelCamp at cdelcamp@educationdynamics.com.

About StudyAbroad.com:
StudyAbroad.com is a web resource of EducationDynamics and the Internet’s leading source of information on educational opportunities for students to study in other countries. It is a comprehensive directory of study abroad and intensive language programs organized by subject and destination. Currently information on more than 13,000 study abroad programs is available and more than two million students visit StudyAbroad.com annually. StudyAbroad.com also offers first hand student reviews; destination information, a handbook serving as a guide to traveling abroad; Blog Abroad, a blog that chronicles the experiences of students as they study abroad; and financial aid and scholarship information. To learn more, visit www.StudyAbroad.com.

About EducationDynamics:
EducationDynamics is higher education’s leading marketing information and technology services company dedicated to helping institutions find, enroll and retain students. Its content-rich and highly visible education websites, including ChristianEducation.com, EarnMyDegree.com, EducationConnection.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, StudyAbroad.com, TestDriveCollege.com, TestDriveGradSchool.com and its special interest microsites, make EducationDynamics the premier provider of qualified prospective students for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of Web-delivered services proven to drive enrollment growth and reduce student attrition, as well as other innovative solutions including LeadWatchLive, its Web-based inquiry management system. Through Aslanian Market Research, the company brings decades of proprietary research, unparalleled market and student intelligence and best practice insights to clients. For more information, visit www.educationdynamics.com.

Contact:
Lindsey Read
CSG PR
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
937-408-9321
lread@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com