Travel businesses remain 'indifferent' to destinations in the province

(Baonghean.vn) - That is one of the limitations pointed out at the 2016 tourism activities summary conference organized by Nghe An Department of Tourism in coordination with the Tourism Association and Nghe An Travel Association on the afternoon of January 13.

Representatives of the Department of Tourism and travel businesses attending the Conference - photo: Minh Quan.

2016 is considered a prosperous year for Nghe An tourism business when total revenue increased by 137% compared to 2015, especially international tourism grew strongly. Vietnamese tourists going abroad increased by 133%, international tourists coming to Vietnam increased by 135%.

Along with that, the labor force in the industry has increased rapidly; currently there are nearly 200 tour guides working in the area, partly meeting the needs of tourists. The quality of tourist transportation and professionalism in customer service are increasingly improved.

Travel agencies survey Muong Thanh Safariland Eco-tourism Area - photo: Vuong Bang.

However, according to the assessment of the representative of the Department of Tourism, travel agencies in Nghe An still mainly focus on exploiting tourists from Nghe An to visit other provinces in the country and abroad, but pay little attention to exploiting tourists from other provinces and countries to visit tourist attractions in the province. The situation of opportunistic business is still happening.

Thai tourists visit sunflower fields in Nghia Dan district - photo: Thanh Chung.

Meanwhile, tourism businesses believe that the reason for this situation is that Nghe An does not have outstanding and unique tourism products to attract tourists with high spending and long stays; the trend of tourists organizing their own travel is happening more and more, so the demand for booking tours is significantly affected.

Regarding the direction in the coming time, the Department of Tourism recommends that the Tourism Association and the Nghe An Travel Association continue to encourage members in the association to actively participate and respond to domestic and foreign market promotion activities; coordinate more closely with state management agencies and relevant organizations and individuals to ensure effective travel activities.

Travel agencies requested the Department of Tourism to have policies to support the travel association's budget for domestic and international promotion activities; Create favorable conditions for the issuance and exchange of tour guide cards; Make recommendations to the authorities to have policies to quickly and conveniently handle procedures (licenses, visas) for foreigners to visit some tourist attractions in Western Nghe An...

Minh Quan