ABERCROMBIE & Kent (A&K) has recently established a destination management company in Vietnam, driven by the rising potential and demand of the country as a luxury travel destination.
Nguyen Tuyet Lan, country manager and director of A&K Vietnam, said: “A&K in South-east Asia started with the Thailand office in the 1980s and we quickly established ourselves in the region with the opening of more DMC offices in more countries.
“While Thailand used to handle Vietnam in the early days, Vietnam has grown and warrants its own offices…we have realised the need to raise our service standards to the next level by expanding our local operations.”
A&K Vietnam officially launched its new outfit two weeks ago but had started operations on May 1 with a total of 15 staff based in its Ho Chi Minh City head office plus branch offices in Hanoi and Danang.
A&K’s latest expansion in South-east Asia is expected to boost inbound demand to Vietnam, said Nguyen, who added that the country has yet to reach its full potential in the development of high-end travel.
“As the market grows, we have seen an optimistic rise in the demand for ultra-luxury and affordable luxury travel in Vietnam. We’ve seen this demand rise first-hand, having had several distinguished guests – including a Saudi Arabian prince and princess and the founder of Orient-Express, for example – travel with A&K Vietnam,” she revealed.
The Vietnam office will keep its focus on providing high-end touches, such as providing a fast-track service at international airports to allow customers to breeze through visa, immigration and customs formalities in less than 15 minutes upon arrival, according to Nguyen.
The luxury travel company has strengthened its Asian presence in recent years, beginning operations in Sri Lanka last year, which, together with Vietnam, brings its global portfolio of DMCs to 50 offices across 25 countries.
Come November 2014, the A&K group will commence luxury cruise journeys aboard Sanctuary Ananda, a 21-suite, 48-passenger vessel, on Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River.
