Sailing fest gets more than tourism benefits

The first international sailing festival to be held later this year in the central coastal province of Binh Thuan has the potential to boost socio-economic development in general, not just the tourism sector, organisers said.
The event could herald the development of a yachting industry in the country, they explained.
The event, held by the Binh Thuan provincial People’s Committee in collaboration with several agencies including the Viet Nam Administration of Tourism and the Ministry of Trade, will take place in the popular beach resort town of Mui Ne on December 8-11.
It is expected that 20 countries will participate in the festival.
Mai Quoc Viet, director of the Dan Han International Entertainment Company, one of the organisers, said the festival, intended to be an annual event, would comprise three main activities: sailing exhibition, concerts and international conferences on marine economy and tourism.
In a letter sent to the organisers, Hoang Tuan Anh, minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the festival was one of many activities celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of Ha Noi as well as the National Year of Tourism in the central coastal provinces.
The festival was also an opportunity to diversify tourism products, introduce the beauty of the Vietnamese coast to international visitors, and boost the image of Viet Nam in general, he said.
Roi Shuhami of www.4yachting.com a web platform of Yachting websites in 30 countries including Viet Nam, said the festival would bring more business opportunities, more jobs, more revenue and more foreign investment into the country.
"When the country has a yachting industry, there will be boat yards that will create more jobs," the Israeli national said, adding that the global yachting industry generates revenues of over US$15 billion a year.
"The festival will also bring to Viet Nam many tourists and many of them are rich businessmen who can be potential investors."
With a long, beautiful coast like Viet Nam, Turkey now has a yachting industry that has created 50,000 jobs in the industry itself and 70,000 jobs in supporting industries, Shuhami said.
Turkey earns annual revenues of $3 billion from the yachting industry and about $5 billion in foreign investment has come in through investors who came to know Turkey through its international sailing festival, he added.
Further information about the festival in Mui Ne can be obtained at www.internationalsailing-festival.com.