Logistics & Transportation

Vietnam - Airlines and tour operators urged to cooperate

Source: Thai News Service, 28 April 2010

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) opined that greater co-operation between airlines and the tourism industry is indispensable to the development of both. Over 70% of airline passengers are tourists, and up to 80% of tourist arrive in Vietnam by air. Around 800 international tour operators and thousands of domestic operators were operating nationwide, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and the central city of Da Nang City.

Meanwhile, the nation could boast of 20 airports around the country with regularly scheduled flights, all administered under the three major regional aviation authorities. Yet, while the domestic aviation market grew by 22% last year, international arrivals declined by 2.5%. Despite co-operation between the tourism industry and the airline sector in trade fairs and international tourism exhibitions, the two sectors still failed to share information and cooperation has been passive.

China - US$219.8 billion to be invested in city rail transport facilities

Source: Xinhua's China Economic Information Service, 30 April 2010

China is expected to outstrip the United States to become the world's largest market for city rail transport by 2012, reports China Securities Journal. It estimates that China's total investments on urban rail transport lines will hit RMB1.5 trillion (US$219.8 billion) over the next five years with an annual investment of about RMB400 million (US$58.6 million).

More than 500 km of rail lines will be built each year over the next five years, with the compound annual growth rate of 13.4%. By the end of 2009, China's operating rail transport lines totaled 1,038.7 km long. In 2009, China's cabinet, the State Council, approved subway construction plan in 22 cities with a total investment of nearly RMB900 billion (US$131.9 billion). The total construction length would be about 2,500 km.

World - Air travel and air freight demand growing faster than expected

Source: Payload Asia, 30 April 2010

International Air Transport Association (IATA) said the demand for both international air travel and air freight accelerated in March with the rebound on the back of economic recovery exceeding expectations. The air traffic recovery would dip in April because of the disruption from the Icelandic volcanic eruption, which hit European carriers in particular, and passenger and freight markets are still 1% below early 2008 highs and the industry has lost two years of growth.

Cargo demand rose 28.1% in March compared with a year earlier while passenger demand was up 10.3%. It was the fourth month in succession that year-on-year growth in freight demand had exceeded 20%, and the third month to see passenger demand over 5%. Demand was now growing at a faster pace than capacity. That drove the freight load factor to 57.1% and the passenger load factor to a record 78% in March.

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