This is the second consecutive year the hotel was honoured by the prestigious award programme for the global tourism industry which saw the voting from 167,000 travel experts and passengers worldwide.

Situated on the picturesque shore of West Lake, Hanoi’s largest lake, Sheraton Ha Noi includes 299 guest rooms and suites featured by a classic design and modern facilities.

Last year, the hotel was elected as one of ten best convention hotels in Asia and among the top fifteen best convention hotels in the continent in 2006 by Smart Travel Asia’s Best In Travel Poll.

The awards of World Travel Awards are considered the most prestigious event on the travel calendar with travel professionals voting worldwide.

The number of tourists to Ca Mau saw a year-on-year increase of 23 percent, while the province’s tourism revenue posted an 18 percent rise from last year to reach 200 billion VND (12.1 million USD).

Primeval cajuput and mangrove forests and the cape are most attractive to visitors, particularly foreigners.

Other destinations such as Hon Da Bac, Khai Long tourist site, afforestation yard 184, Song Doc seaport, the gas-electricity-fertiliser complex and bird sanctuaries also lured large numbers of tourists.

Local authorities expects to receive 1 million visitors per annum as from 2010 by working to improve tourism facilities and transport infrastructure and to address the shortage of professional tourism mangers and tourist guides.

Attending the conference are leaders of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and representatives of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Finance, High Command of Border Guard…; General Director of Viet Nam Airlines and a number of foreign representative offices, leaders from 12 tourism departments in the cities and provinces which have big tourism potential and representatives of many travel companies, hotels, and other tourism-related companies; leaders of departments of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and VNAT; many journalists, reporters of the central and local magazines and televisions.

By the end of November, 2008 Vietnam had received only 3.9 million foreign tourists, making it hard for the country to achieve its target of welcoming 4.8-5 million foreign visitors this year. Face with this situation, tourism-related sectors need to have immediate solutions to attract more tourists. The solutions will be implemented in 2009.

The delegates proposed several solutions for the short and long-terms in order to solve the difficulties and obstacles which effect directly or indirectly to the process of attracting, serving tourists come to Vietnam.

Stimulating domestic demand is one of the most important solutions to mitigate the global financial crisis’s impacts on tourism. Other measures include promotional activities, tax policies, and human resources and infrastructure development.

T’nung Lake, also known as Ia Nueng, is located in Bien Ho Commune in the north of Gia Lai Province, about 7 kilometers from the heart of Pleiku City. The lake, surrounded by pine forests and mountain, is 230 hectares wide, expanding up to 400 hectares in the rainy season, and about 30 meters deep. In the early morning when the sun is still low in the sky the sun-beam reflect like a silver band on the lake.

T’nung is the name of the village. According to local folklore T’nung Lake was named after an ethnic village named where everyone lived happily together. One day a fierce quake erupted and destroyed the village, turning it into ash. When the fire was finally doused all that remained was a deep hole. The survivors stood besides the deep hole and cried, filling the hole with their tears and turning it into a lake.

The road to T’nung Lake is through a green canopy of pine trees. To satisfy curiosity, if contemplating the charms of the lake is not enough, tourist can take a thuyen doc moc (hollowed – tree boat or a dugout canoe) trip to explore hidden charms of the lake, to see their shadows on the pure and sparkling surface of the lake and to delve into the forest to discover magnificence of exotic lifestyles in harmony with wild nature. Here tourists will see the abundant and varied fauna and flora. Meandering around the lake, tourists can add to their fun with some fishing, and turtle watching.

The village is home to friendly ethnic people such as Bahnar and Jarai…, so tourists may stroll around the village to discover traditional customs and stay overnight to make a camp-fire and enjoy grilled fish that was caught in the lake with ruou can (wine drunk out of a jar through pipes) to experience the flavor and the soul of the uplands. T’nung Lake or Bien Ho (Sea Lake) was recognized as a national landscape by the Ministry of Culture and Information (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism now) in 1988. The lake remains unchanged, with a primitive charm that appeals to tourists.