Mekong Delta to greet 19 million visitors

The Mekong River Delta expects to receive 19 million visitors this year, 200,000 more than last year, according to the regional tourism agency, the Mekong Delta Tourism Association.
Of this figure, the number of foreign visitors is estimated to increase by 20 percent over last year, reaching 1.46 million.
An Giang, Kien Giang, Ca Mau, and Can Tho City will top the list of most visited provinces in the delta, the association said.
The tourism sector in the region has attracted increasing numbers of visitors since many tourism companies have introduced different kinds of tours.
Travel companies in Can Tho, An Giang, Kien Giang and Hau Giang, for instance, have strengthened the development of waterway tours and festival tourism, among other products.
Meanwhile, companies in Ca Mau, Bac Lieu and Soc Trang provinces have promoted eco-tourism to mangrove forests, and tours that include festivals and other cultural activities of the Khmer people.
In Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Vinh Long and Tra Vinh, waterway tourism, visiting orchards and traditional villages, historical vestiges and other community-based tourism have been strongly developed in the past time.
Provinces in the delta have also invested in upgrading infrastructure including airports, roads and bridges, making it more comfortable for visitors.
To further promote tourism, the delta plans to set up a center for tourism promotion and build a tourism portal to provide updated and accurate tourism information.
Travel companies will strive to launch more tourism products and improve the quality of their services.
The region is famous for its diverse ecosystems.
Its major attractions include: orchards on the Thoi Son Island in Tien Giang province; coconut gardens in Ben Tre province; the ecosystem in flooded cajeput forests of the Dong Thap Muoi area, Tra Su cajeput forests in An Giang Province; and coastal mangrove forests (bird sanctuaries, nature reserves, national parks, biosphere reserves) in Can Tho, Dong Thap, Bac Lieu and Kien Giang provinces.