Nghe An tourism overcomes difficulties.

(Baonghean) - As an attractive destination nationwide, Nghe An's tourism industry has consistently achieved good growth over the past 10 years (revenue increasing by 20-25% per year). In the context of the difficulties facing tourism in Central Vietnam, the provincial tourism industry, in coordination with local authorities, has implemented many measures to stimulate demand and overcome challenges…

Sea tourism "braves the waves"

Pulling in the nets at Cua Lo beach. Photo by PV.

Although it was the end of the peak beach tourism season, Cua Lo still attracted a considerable number of tourists during the early September holiday. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao (a tourist from Thai Binh province) said: “We learned that Cua Lo town regularly monitors the seawater, and the published indicators are safe. Therefore, even though it's the end of summer, my family still decided to come here for a vacation and relaxation.”

Unlike about three months ago, following reports of dead fish in the central coastal region, the number of tourists visiting Cua Lo – the province's tourism "key spot" – has plummeted. 288 hotels, guesthouses, and tourism businesses in Cua Lo town, capable of accommodating 19,000 guests per day, had made thorough preparations to welcome visitors since mid-April 2016. However, numerous cancellations and a significant drop in visitors have severely impacted the businesses of the coastal tourism town.

Traveling along the Giang River into the heart of the Pù Mát primeval forest. Photo: Sỹ Minh

The owner of the Nhat Tuan restaurant (Binh Minh Street - Cua Lo Town) said: "During this year's tourist season, the negative impact of information on beach tourism has significantly reduced the number of tourists. We have focused on both service quality and product quality while also offering promotions to attract customers." Tourism is a "sensitive" economic sector; therefore, although not directly affected by Formosa, information about the marine environment has greatly impacted the psychology of tourists, causing a sharp decline in Cua Lo's tourism services in May and June.

The coastal town's tourism industry suffered losses amounting to hundreds of billions of dong. However, thanks to the synchronized implementation of solutions including investment in tourism infrastructure, promotion, and advertising; and through vibrant and impressive cultural events and activities, tourism in Cua Lo began to flourish starting in July 2016 (estimated 720,000 tourists, generating 575 billion dong in revenue).

Boosting the development of new destinations.

While tourism in Cua Lo faced difficulties during the peak season, to partially compensate for losses in beach tourism, the provincial tourism industry promptly implemented a comprehensive set of solutions to stimulate tourism. To exploit the advantages and natural beauty of the mountainous Con Cuong district and attract tourists, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism coordinated with the district to facilitate famtrip groups and tourism companies to survey and develop services and tours in the area. Since April 2015, Viettravel has selected Con Cuong as a destination in its tours in Nghe An province.

According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Nam, Head of the Culture Department of Con Cuong District: This year, the provincial tourism industry is strengthening coordination with the district to invest in building infrastructure for tourist destinations, including: signposts, billboards, restrooms, etc. Specifically, Pu Mat National Park is investing in building access roads to and from Khe Kem waterfall, service shops, and deploying personnel to serve and guide visitors.

In addition, the district also sent delegations to attend tourism development conferences at the provincial and national levels to promote local tourism. As a result, the number of visitors to tourist destinations such as Khe Kem (Pu Mat), Giang River cruises, Pha Lai dam, Khe Nuoc Moc stream, and community tourism (Con Cuong) in the first eight months of 2016 reached approximately 30,000 people (an increase of more than 10 times compared to the same period last year).

Many hotels in Cua Lo town are focusing on improving service quality and implementing promotional programs to attract tourists during the peak season. Photo: D.N.

Meanwhile, the Truông Bồn Historical Site has attracted a large number of domestic and international tourists to Nghe An province. Thanks to intensified promotional efforts through national-level events and mass media channels, in the first six months of 2016, the Truông Bồn Historical Site welcomed 1,200 delegations from the central government and local authorities from within and outside the province, totaling over 50,000 people. The number of individual visitors and families from within and outside the province who came to pay respects to the heroic martyrs reached nearly 50,000 (approximately equal to the number of visitors for the entire year of 2015).

Discussing solutions to overcome difficulties in the tourism industry, Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: The industry has coordinated with localities to strengthen propaganda and promotion work, while focusing on investing in tourism infrastructure, improving service quality, better exploiting new destinations, and better meeting the needs of tourists from inside and outside the province. In addition, the industry is strengthening regional linkages between Thanh Hoa - Nghe An - Ha Tinh - Quang Binh to attract tourists to tourist destinations in the province. The industry is directing tourism businesses to stimulate demand during the off-season by improving the quality of tourism services and maintaining service prices…

Looking back at the overall tourism landscape in Nghe An, Cua Lo town is the province's tourism hub, contributing nearly 50% of the province's annual tourism revenue. Therefore, to boost tourism growth in the province in the coming years, the tourism sector needs to continue focusing on promoting and exploiting the potential of this beautiful coastal tourist town, considered one of the best in the country. Specifically, it needs to continue monitoring seawater quality and promoting Cua Lo as a safe and friendly destination, while also improving the quality of tourism services. In addition, the tourism sector needs to coordinate with localities to focus on investing in, promoting, and effectively exploiting the tourism potential of the Mekong Delta; this is considered a crucial solution to boost tourism growth in Nghe An in the coming years. Furthermore, as a comprehensive economic sector involving many other industries, a synchronized effort from various sectors and localities is necessary to create momentum for the province's tourism industry in the post-crisis period.

Dinh Nguyet