"Bridge" for building a civilized and friendly coastal tourist town.

(Baonghean) - Legitimate recommendations from grassroots voters have been given attention and monitored by the People's Council of Cua Lo town and the People's Councils of the wards, thus contributing positively to building trust among voters and the people, and creating new changes in tourism business activities.

Cua Lo town has been determined to build a sustainable tourism brand. Since 2006, implementing the "5 No's" policy (no price gouging; no harassing or pestering tourists; no street vendors selling massage services; no environmental damage; no disruption of security and order) in tourism activities has contributed to changing the awareness of the people as well as organizations and individuals. However, entering the 2014 tourist season, the situation of street vendors in the Cua Lo tourist area is still prevalent, especially in the evening. Although the wards have implemented many measures such as organizing the signing of commitments not to violate the "5 No's" policy with collectives and individuals; establishing self-governing groups, maintaining a tourism security team to disseminate information, mobilize, and handle violations, the number of street vendors has not decreased, and the relevant levels, sectors, and localities need to find ways to prevent it. This issue was raised by voters in Cua Lo Town through voter outreach meetings, activities of the People's Council delegations in the 7 wards, and by tourists. Responding to voters' suggestions, the Town People's Council issued a document instructing the Town People's Committee to direct relevant departments, agencies, and wards to actively implement the "5 No's" policy. As a result, this policy is increasingly embraced and voluntarily implemented by the people, who consider it a responsibility of each citizen of Cua Lo Town for the future of the tourist city.

Voters in Thu Thuy ward, Cua Lo town, have submitted petitions regarding issues of concern to the people.

At Cua Hoi Tourist Area, what we noticed was the very low number of street vendors. Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Nghi Hoa Ward People's Committee, said: “Following the complaints from residents and tourists about the unsightly image caused by street vendors aggressively soliciting customers, the Ward People's Committee assigned the civil defense force, police, and tourism security team to disseminate information, remind, and encourage people not to engage in street vending. We instructed the kiosks to strictly adhere to the contents discussed in the self-governing group meeting – not to buy, sell, or process any kind of street food in the beach area.” Therefore, the street vending situation has been eliminated. Ms. Phan Thi Nga from Cau Giay District (Hanoi) happily shared: “I am very satisfied because the tourism service in Cua Hoi is becoming more professional, the environment is clean and beautiful, and there is no longer the messy image of the environment or aggressively soliciting customers as before. This creates a comfortable and friendly feeling for tourists when they come here.”

Nghi Huong Ward, a key tourism unit of Cua Lo Town, currently has over 700 workers directly involved in tourism service businesses. Following the town's policy, in addition to improving infrastructure and urban beautification to serve tourism, the ward actively directs organizations and individuals to enhance professionalism in tourism business operations to attract tourists. Furthermore, before each tourist season, the ward organizes training and issues permits to manage those operating motorbike taxis, inspects food safety and hygiene, ensures public price listing, and directs kiosks to comply with the regulations discussed in self-governing group meetings, prohibiting the buying, selling, and processing of street food products in the beach area. Mr. Hoang Hai from Nghi Huong ward, Cua Lo town, said: “Civilized tourism is an issue that local people and tourists have frequently raised and requested. I have noticed that recently, in the ward, departments and agencies have intensified propaganda and raised awareness among the people, especially by resolutely handling cases of violations. There is good solidarity in business, no instances of touting, mutual assistance in times of difficulty, and the town's "5 no's" policy is well implemented. This has contributed to attracting an increasing number of tourists to the resort.”

A common issue raised by locals and tourists alike is that some restaurants and hotels take advantage of peak tourist season to inflate prices. To address this, the People's Council of Cua Lo town requested the People's Committee of Cua Lo to issue Directive No. 05 dated April 21, 2014, on the public posting of prices for goods, services, tourism, and accommodation in the area. Accordingly, in addition to strengthening propaganda and encouraging people to voluntarily comply with the directive, the People's Committee of Cua Lo also directed departments, agencies, and wards to strengthen inspection and control to promptly handle violations. It is readily apparent that restaurants and hotels now strictly adhere to regulations on price adjustments, declaration, posting, and selling goods at the posted prices, without arbitrarily raising prices during peak tourist season. This has created a comfortable and reassuring experience for tourists visiting Cua Lo. This is also one of the actions to contribute to affirming the tourism brand and building Cua Lo into a prosperous, civilized, and developed seaside tourist destination.

Furthermore, managing the operation of electric vehicles in Cua Lo town is one of the issues that the Town People's Council is urging relevant departments and agencies to address. Electric vehicles are a popular means of transportation for both locals and tourists visiting Cua Lo, due to their convenience, mobility, and especially their non-polluting nature. Due to increasing demand, people are buying them for business purposes, leading to a significant increase in the number of vehicles. A current concern is the issue of electric vehicles stopping and parking to pick up passengers in unauthorized locations and failing to comply with traffic laws during operation. How to develop environmentally friendly electric vehicles that serve tourists in a sustainable, civilized, and courteous manner, while promoting the "5 No's" regulations in tourism activities, and contributing to the promotion and affirmation of Cua Lo's beach tourism brand, is a matter that all levels and sectors in Cua Lo need to focus on. Following a voter's request related to the government's policy of allowing a pilot program of 150 electric vehicles in Cua Lo, the Town People's Council urged the People's Committee to focus on decisively developing a logo, authorizing the 150 electric vehicles to operate within the tourist area, and establishing designated stopping, parking, and passenger pick-up/drop-off points for the electric vehicles. To date, the electric vehicle system in the area operates smoothly and complies with the town's regulations.

It is noteworthy that, through various "channels," the delegates and committees of the Cua Lo Town People's Council have effectively fulfilled their roles and responsibilities as elected representatives, understanding the thoughts and aspirations of the people. Supervisory activities through contact with constituents have uncovered shortcomings in mechanisms and policies related to people's lives. From this, recommendations have been compiled and sent to relevant departments and localities for effective resolution of issues of concern to voters. Mr. Phan Cong Luu, Permanent Deputy Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Cua Lo Town, stated: “People expect and follow up after the sessions or voter outreach meetings of elected representatives to see how their legitimate proposals and recommendations will be addressed by relevant departments and levels. This is also a concern of the Standing Committee of the People's Council of Cua Lo Town. In the past, the People's Council of Cua Lo Town has diligently urged departments and localities to fulfill their promises to voters. At the same time, it has monitored the resolution of recommendations to ensure full responsibility to voters, avoiding superficiality and carelessness. Therefore, most recommendations have been satisfactorily resolved by the relevant agencies, partially meeting the legitimate aspirations and concerns of voters. This has created consensus and trust among voters towards their representatives and elected bodies.”

Text and photos:Le Thanh