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Mekong Delta looks to promote tourism
Localities in the western region of the Mekong Delta need to
foster regional cooperation to create highly competitive tourism products,
officials have said.
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The western region of the Mekong Delta comprises Can Tho City and the six
provinces of Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Soc Trang, An Giang, Hau Giang and Kien Giang.
In the first six months of the year, the number of tourist arrivals to the
region rose by 11 percent to reach 17.8 million, accounting for more than 76
percent of total tourist arrivals to the Mekong Delta region.
Tourism revenue was estimated at 10.4 trillion VND (452.1 million USD), a
year-on-year increase of more than 33 percent.
Tran Hieu Hung, Director of Ca Mau province’s Department of Culture, Sports and
Tourism, said the tourism cooperation programme in the western cluster failed to
bring expected outcomes due to an overlap in tourism products and uninteresting
inter-regional tour packages.
Under the programme, the seven localities pledge to cooperate in marketing and
promotion activities, new tourism products, unique inter-regional tour packages,
human resource training, and international and national tourism events.
But the tourism potential in these localities has yet to be fully realised due
to loose regional linkages in development of new tourism products and an overlap
in tourism products, poor infrastructure and services, as well as ineffective
and insufficient marketing.
Bui Quoc Thai, Deputy Director of Kien Giang province’s Department of Tourism,
said localities in the Mekong Delta region were seeking unique tourism products.
The Mekong Delta region is well known for its waterway landscape, rice paddy
fields, and verdant orchards, but localities do not invest in innovative and
attractive models, resulting in similar tourism products, Thai said.
Floating markets, Don ca tai tu (southern amateur music) and food, for example,
are designed for all kinds of tours. As a result, travellers just visit one
place in the region.
Pham The Trieu, Deputy Director of An Giang province’s Department of Culture,
Sports and Tourism, said tourism human resources lacked skills in communication,
foreign languages, and professional and management skills.
Although tourism infrastructure and lodging facilities in the region have
developed rapidly to meet the rising demand, most are small scale, Trieu said.
There is also a lack of high-end facilities and services operated by famous
brands, he said.
Tourism experts said the linkages in tourism products aim to give diverse
experiences and attractive itineraries to tourists.
Du To Tuan, Director of Vietravel’s Bac Lieu province branch, said that
localities should take into consideration the demand of different age groups and
incomes as well as specific market segments such as local and inbound tourists
to develop tourism products and marketing strategies.
Tourism products for inbound visitors should focus on ecotourism tours, cultural
and craft villages, local lifestyles and festivals.
Spiritual tourism is mostly favoured by local tourists, he said.
Cao Tan Dung, Deputy Director of Fiditour’s Can Tho city branch, said a tourism
product should be well organised to satisfy demands during the entire trip, from
restaurants, accommodations to destinations.
Can Tho city and Phu Quoc island in Kien Giang province, as the region’s tourism
hubs, should play a driving force for the tourism industry of the entire region,
Dung said.
Under the master plan for tourism development in the Mekong River Delta region,
the western cluster in the Mekong Delta will focus on unique tourism products
such as the Ca Mau Cape, sea and island leisure tourism, eco-tourism, and
cultural tourism.
The plan targets developing three destinations in the cluster, including Phu
Quoc island in Kien Giang province, Ca Mau Cape tourism area in the country’s
southernmost province of Ca Mau, and Sam Mountain in An Giang province.
It also focuses on the development of four national tourist sites, including Ong
Ho islet in An Giang province, Don ca tai tu and musician Cao Van Lau memorial
house in Bac Lieu province, Ninh Kieu wharf in Can Tho city and Ha Tien town in
Kien Giang province.
Source: VNS |
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