Asian Cup: foreign visitors flock into Vietnam

Asian Cup: foreign visitors flock into Vietnam

Tens of thousands of football fans of three teams Japan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar, are expected to come to Vietnam to stimulate their teams at Asian Cup 2007.

However, as tickets were issued too late, some travel firms have lost opportunities to bring foreign visitors to Vietnam on the occasion of Asian Cup 2007.

According to international airways, which have direct air routes to Vietnam, the number of tickets booked from the three above countries to Hanoi and HCM City has increased remarkably.

Only Qatar Airways currently provides direct flights from the Middle East to Vietnam. This firm revealed that many fans of the Qatar national team have come to Vietnam to support their players at Asian Cup 2007.

A staff of Qatar Airways told Tuoi Tre as the Asian Cup 2007 is approaching, the number of seats booked by passengers is increasing. The flights to Vietnam for some days have been fully booked.

Meanwhile, Japan Airlines (JAL) said many Japanese football fans use their services since they have air routes from Osaka and Tokyo to Hanoi. Its flights to Vietnam of JAL in the coming days have been fully booked.

Some other airways revealed that months before the event, many travel firms had booked seats for their customers to Vietnam.

Travel companies are complaining about not being able to buy tickets for Asian Cup while their Japanese customers only buy tours and book air tickets if they have football tickets.

A representative of T&T travel company said: œAt first we met difficulties in booking air tickets and hotels but when those things were solved, we cant buy tickets for football matches of the Japanese team. As the organising board distributes football tickets too late, when we get football tickets, we cant book hotels and air tickets.

As football tickets are distributed late, Apex travel company has to bring 300 tickets to Japan for sale.

œWe initially planned to register 600 football tickets but when we made a deposit, we knew that the tickets would be issued late. So we decided to book only 300 tickets. But till now we have to bring the tickets to Japan to sell, the representative said.

Another travel firm, OSC Hanoi, after getting football tickets, has immediately updated knowledge on football for its staff and informed its Japanese partners about the tour in Vietnam. The company director, Truong Nam Thang, said that his company is trying its best to satisfy Japanese fans.