North - South Central region tourism: Must have strong connections

(Baonghean) - The first scientific conference on tourism development in the North - South Central region held in Nghe An has ended with success, providing realistic suggestions for a regional tourism development orientation. Places that have successfully done tourism, places that are just taking their first steps on the path of developing the smokeless industry have all gained some experience from this meaningful conference. And a unified mindset has been reached that strong connections are needed.

Tour on Giang River into the core of Pu Mat primeval forest. Photo: Sy Minh.

Highlights on the national tourism map

Located on the trans-Vietnam tourism route, the North - South Central region has an important and favorable geo-tourism role and position for regional, domestic and international linkages to develop tourism and become an important link in national tourism programs. The North - South Central region is also part of the trans-Asia tourism corridor, so it has national and international significance. In addition, in the development of national thematic tourism, the North - South Central region is also the cradle of the "Central Heritage Road" tourism route through world heritage sites (Thanh Hoa - Nghe An - Quang Binh - Thua Thien Hue - Quang Nam).

Based on the strengths of tourism potential, in recent times, tourism in the North - South Central regions has developed at a faster growth rate than many other places in the country and achieved certain results. In 2015, international tourists traveling between localities in the North Central region reached 1.7 million, domestic tourists reached 17 million; total revenue from tourism reached more than 15 trillion VND. For the South Central Coast, international tourists traveling between localities reached nearly 4.9 million; domestic tourists reached more than 17 million; total revenue from tourism reached about 35.5 trillion VND.

The region has been known as a bright spot of Vietnam tourism with attractive tourism products for tourists, such as beach resorts, especially in the coastal areas of Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan, heritage tourism to the ancient capital of Hue, Hoi An, My Son, in which the tourism product "Central Heritage Road" stands out; Tourism to explore Cham cultural identity; MICE tourism; Border tourism associated with border gates...

However, in addition to the achievements, the current status of tourism development in localities in the region shows that tourism development still has many limitations and shortcomings; there has not been a breakthrough development to affirm that it is truly a spearhead economic sector. One of those limitations is that there is no connection to create a combined strength, create diversity in the unique identity of tourism products among localities in the region, in promotion, state management of tourism development...

Travel companies survey Quang Trung Temple (Vinh City). Photo: Dao Tuan.

More ideas about connections

The issue that was discussed and dissected the most at the conference held at the end of February in Nghe An was how to join hands to create a close connection, and to limit the lack of long-term vision and opportunistic business practices that affect tourism.

According to Mr. Nguyen Huu Chien - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Da Nang, linkage is a key issue in the tourism development strategy based on the principle of "Buying with friends, selling with partners". This means that tourism development needs to be linked together such as organizing tours, limiting the independence of each province and each region, while tourism businesses often link destinations and tourism products together when implementing tours. Particularly for Da Nang, along with building strategies and developing tourism, especially building and forming tourism products, Da Nang has actively linked with Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue to organize tours, tourism routes as well as festivals to attract tourists to a locality.

I think the province should cooperate more with travel agencies and tour operators in Vietnam to spread the message that Nghe An is a wonderful place that tourists cannot miss when coming to Vietnam.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Nghe An affirmed that, with the nature of a comprehensive economic sector, highly inter-sectoral and inter-regional, the issue of linkage has been raised by Nghe An to coordinate with each other in the process of tourism development. He said that the orientations on linkage will contribute to changing the mindset of "each doing their own thing" and the issue of linkage is considered a vital issue for tourism. When clearly aware of this issue, those working in tourism in Nghe An need to pay more attention to planning, implementing planning, building tourism development strategies at the macro level of the province, the region and the country, making the tourism space meet the need for linkage.

Cable car tour on top of Ba Na (Da Nang). Photo: Tran Hai.

Together for development

Promoting cooperation and linkage will determine the future development of tourism in the North - South Central region - that is the affirmation of many economic experts, many organizations and individuals with a long history of tourism. The affirmed linkage viewpoint is to strengthen the linkage of tourism development between localities in the region, between the region and other localities in the country and link with international and regional countries to diversify tourism products in accordance with the strengths of each locality, create uniqueness in tours, improve the quality of tourism products and promote tourism, while creating harmony, unity and combined strength of each locality and region. In the linkage, it is necessary to pay attention to the leading role of provinces/cities with developed tourism such as Hue, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan.

Forms of cooperation include cooperation and association in tourism development between provinces in each region of the North Central region; the South Central Coast; cooperation and association in tourism development within the framework of the North - South provinces; cooperation and association in tourism development between the North - South Central provinces and the Central Highlands; cooperation and association in tourism development between the North - South Central provinces and the distribution centers of major domestic tourist markets such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. International cooperation and association in tourism development with countries in the ASEAN bloc; ASEAN + 3; cooperation within the framework of East - West corridor tourism cooperation; the countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-region GMS; cooperation with 3 countries in one destination (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam); cooperation with 4 countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam) ...

The contents of the linkage include linkage in tourism product development; tourism market; regional tourism promotion; tourism human resource development; tourism planning and management; tourism environmental protection, response to natural disasters and climate change. In the above linkage contents, the contents of cooperation, linkage in product development; tourism promotion and investment are given top priority.

Close, regular and effective connections will create new opportunities, new markets, new products and new tourism spaces, contributing to creating a driving force for socio-economic development of the Central provinces in the new period, a period of increasingly comprehensive and profound international integration.

An Nhan