Salt parks tipped as tourism destinations

The Union of Science for Sustainable Tourism Development (STDe) plans to promote salt parks to tourists as an environmentally friendly attraction.
STDe said 70 per cent of the country's tourism sector focused on Viet Nam's 3,200km coastline.
Over the next 20 years, the STDe said it planned to cash in on the popularity of the sea by developing a tourism industry around salt production.
"Combining salt production with tourism is a way of capitalising on the popularity of the coast," said Nguyen Thu Hanh, STDe's chairperson.
Building salt parks will help to promote the industry and preserve a traditional way of life, she added.
Planned parks would have attractions such as salt caves, slides, mazes, art exhibitions, spas – even salt hotels and villages, she said.
Next month, work will start on a pilot salt park in Ha Long, in northern Quang Ninh Province and on Cat Ba island in Hai Phong.
"But to turn the idea into reality, we need every sector of the tourism industry to participate," Hanh said.
Nguyen Quang Long, from Dong Da District, said his family holidayed in Ha Long Bay almost every year. He said the idea of a salt park sounded fascinating.
"Setting up a salt park is a great idea. I'm sure it would be really popular with tourists," he said.
Dang Thu Ha, who owns Phi Long Sand Picture Enterprise in the southern province of Binh Thuan, said tourists were impressed by sand sculptures.
He said his firm used 80 different kinds of sand to make pictures, which tourists loved. Sculptures from salt would equally appeal, Ha said.
Le Than, director of the Binh Thuan Sea Tourism Promotion Centre, said the Mui Ne sand hill was popular with those looking to relax or go sand-skiing. He also thought salt parks would be popular with tourists.
Meanwhile, Pham Trung Luong, deputy director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research, said the tourism sector had done little to exploit the central province's coastline over the last 10 years.
"The lack of long-term and proper investment in coastal tourism means we have overlooked our region's natural advantages," he said.