Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will work with tourist agencies to hold an international tourism investment conference, which will present Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam as destinations, on September 30 and October 1.

The Tourism Investment Conference 2009 (TIC) will be a chance for cities and provinces in the country to introduce their major tourism projects to more than 100 international investors.

The exposition will focus on developing tourism for the three countries, presenting tourism investment opportunities in “Three Countries, One Destination,” and creating a stable tourism development strategy.

The organizers hope the conference will open effective cooperation opportunities between the state and private travel firms.

Terrace rice field in Sapa in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam

Tran The Dung, deputy director of Young Generation Travel Company, said service providers, such as accommodation, restaurant, yachts and transportation, in Sapa, Ha Long, Hue and Hoi An have offered five to ten percent discounts compared with last month to attract local visitors during the off-peak season.