Opportunities for Tourism in Nghe An

(Baonghean) - I was fortunate to accompany Ms. Dinh Thi Le Thanh, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An Province, on several occasions when Nghe An Province organized tourism promotion activities in Vientiane (Laos), Nong Khai and Udon Thani provinces (Thailand), and Lam Dong province and Da Nang city. During these trips dedicated to tourism, the delegation from the Provincial People's Committee always used air travel to implement the promotion program. And on the journey from Lien Khuong Airport (Lam Dong) to Da Nang in early April, the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee exclaimed: "We are much closer to the tourist regions. But we still have a lot to learn and do."

Driven by concerns from the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee about the tourism industry's underdeveloped potential, the province has focused on investing in and promoting tourism since 2013. In fact, many localities have achieved positive results thanks to targeted investment in the tourism industry. For example, in Da Nang City, tourism and services accounted for over 55% of the local economy between 2011 and 2013, with agriculture accounting for only about 20%, and total tourism revenue reaching 7,784 billion VND. Isn't this something Nghe An province should learn from? Meanwhile, Nghe An province is located in the central part of North Central Vietnam and is a land rich in cultural identity, heritage, abundant human resources, and incredibly diverse natural and tourism resources.

Returning to the journey of promoting tourism by the People's Committee and the Tourism Department of Nghe An province in Da Nang City, for the first time, the two localities jointly organized a comprehensive tourism promotion activity that created a long-term legal framework: the Conference on Cooperation in Tourism Development linked with Aviation. Besides the leaders of the two localities and tourism management agencies such as the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Tourism Information and Promotion Center, the conference was also attended by representatives of Vietnam National Airlines (Vietnam Airlines) and many travel companies, tourism associations, and hotels from Nghe An and Da Nang. What attracted the attention of the delegates at this conference was not only the participation of two localities in the Central region in a pivotal cooperation conference for the tourism industry, but also the consensus on building and developing travel programs through air travel.

Leaders of Nghe An province and Da Nang city discussed cooperation in tourism activities.

In fact, the Vinh - Da Nang - Vinh route is not a recent development. Vietnam Airlines launched this route in October 2012, with a frequency of 4 flights per week, increasing to 7 flights per week from May 2013. According to Mr. Ho Quang Tuan, Deputy Director of Vietnam Airlines' Da Nang branch, passengers on the Vinh - Da Nang - Vinh route in 2013 accounted for approximately 73% of the total seats on each aircraft. The majority of passengers were those visiting relatives or on business trips. This also means that the potential for air travel to various destinations and tours remains largely untapped.

Meanwhile, Nghe An and Da Nang are two localities located in the Central region, within the country's key tourism area. Both provinces share a common strength: diverse tourism resources with outstanding potential in terms of beaches, islands, forests, mountains, and historical and cultural heritage. Therefore, the purpose of this conference, as defined by the leaders of Da Nang City and Nghe An Province, is to leverage the advantages of each locality and the entire region. Based on this, resources will be exploited rationally, addressing the practical needs of the localities and creating new impetus for sustainable tourism development throughout the region. The conference will also focus on developing tourism development plans, diversifying tourism products, creating complete inter-regional tourism products, tours, and routes, and promoting them jointly both domestically and internationally.

Images of some tourist attractions in the province. Photo: PV

Regarding the cooperation aimed at coordinating and connecting tourism activities between Nghe An and Da Nang, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, a member of the Da Nang City Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Da Nang City People's Committee, stated that this is a commendable initiative by Nghe An province, given that air travel has become a popular and convenient means of transportation. The basis for this cooperation in air tourism between Nghe An – the central province of North Central Vietnam – and Da Nang – the central city of South Central Vietnam – lies not only in the outstanding potential of its heritage, historical and cultural values, and tourism resources, but also in the opportunity to connect destinations with other tourist regions along the flight routes. In January 2014, Nghe An province officially launched a direct flight from Vinh to Vientiane and vice versa, operated by Vietnam Airlines. The establishment of the Vinh - Vientiane - Vinh international air route has created a chain connecting destinations, cultural spaces, and unique heritage sites along the East-West economic corridor between Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar.

After this flight route becomes operational, Vinh Airport will become an important transit point and bridge, meeting the needs of passengers wishing to travel to Vientiane (Laos) and the Northeast region of Thailand or further afield. It would be very practical and convenient for tourists in the South Central region to travel via the Da Nang - Vinh - Vientiane route and vice versa. The grandeur and allure of cultural heritage regions and lands rich in identity will become closer through this flight route. Mr. Tran Chi Cuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Da Nang City, believes that all the conditions to turn potential into reality have been met; the important thing is for the two localities to strengthen tourism promotion and advertising activities associated with air travel. Regarding state management, Mr. Tran Chi Cuong also affirmed that he will request Da Nang's tourism and travel companies to cooperate and assist Nghe An in surveying tours and routes to promote the initiatives proposed by Nghe An province.

Mr. Cao Tri Dung, Chairman of the Da Nang City Tourism Association, frankly stated that Nghe An and Da Nang are two localities with great tourism potential, but their exploitation has been modest for a long time. Since Vietnam Airlines opened the Da Nang - Vinh route, many travel agencies have expanded their tours and routes. However, reality also shows that tourists from Northeast Thailand, via Laos to Nghe An and then to Da Nang, still mainly travel by road. According to Mr. Dung, the largest number of tourists from Thailand and Laos arrive in Da Nang via Nghe An by road. Therefore, promoting tourism through air travel via the Vientiane - Vinh - Da Nang route is a very practical approach. However, for this cooperation to be effective, Vietnam Airlines needs to stimulate demand. This includes researching ways to reduce ticket prices and implementing appropriate policies for travel agencies and organizations. In addition, Vietnam Airlines also needs to actively participate in tourism promotion and advertising through air travel.

The cooperation between Nghe An province and Da Nang city in developing tourism linked to aviation, as proposed by Nghe An province, demonstrates the government's responsibility in addressing the demands of real life. It can be said that the potential of heritage, culture, and resources is not the most decisive factor in the development of the tourism industry. Opportunities only truly arise for travel businesses when local authorities actively participate. The signed memorandum of understanding on cooperation in developing tourism linked to aviation between Nghe An province and Da Nang city includes five points that have been mutually agreed upon.

This reflects a consensus across various areas of state management, tourism promotion and marketing, planning, investment attraction, and cooperation in tourism development linked to aviation. Specifically in the aviation sector, the leaders of the two localities committed to creating all necessary conditions and developing appropriate mechanisms and policies to meet objective requirements. They pledged to coordinate with Vietnam Airlines to gradually reduce airfares and stimulate demand, ensuring the Da Nang - Vinh - Vientiane route is truly effective and contributes to facilitating travel and tourism for both residents and visitors. Regarding the resolution of practical issues, the People's Committees of Nghe An Province and Da Nang City agreed to assign the Departments of Culture, Sports & Tourism to provide advice and solutions.

Passengers on the Vinh - Vientiane international flight route.

On a sunny day in Da Nang City, after signing the conference minutes, Ms. Dinh Thi Le Thanh frankly shared: "Everything will be meaningless if it remains only on paper. With all pride and a sense of responsibility, I hope that you will make this cooperation as vibrant and practical as possible." It is evident that never before have the leaders of Nghe An province been so closely involved with the tourism industry and tourism activities. The opportunity for Nghe An tourism has never been better.

Dao Tuan