Director of Department of Tourism concerned about Vinh airport

(Baonghean) - Although quite optimistic about opening a direct flight route to China, Director of Nghe An Department of Tourism Nguyen Manh Cuong is still concerned about whether Vinh airport's infrastructure can meet the demand?

» Don't let international flights 'die young'

After the article'Don't let international flights die young'Published in Nghe An newspaper on June 7, 2017, PV had an interview with Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong - Director of Nghe An Department of Tourism about the new flight route and related issues.

PV:Sir, the news that Nghe An will have a direct flight from Vinh to China has made many people worried because this market is too new for Nghe An tourism. People are afraid that this flight will follow the footsteps of the two previous international flights (to Vientiane and Bangkok). What do you think about this issue?

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong:If we talk about new, not only China but almost every international market is new to Nghe An tourism. Up to now, the number of international visitors to Nghe An has been very limited, never exceeding 100,000. According to the strategy for developing Nghe An tourism from now to 2030, with a vision to 2050, Nghe An's domestic tourist market will be saturated. Sooner or later we will have to look to the outside market and to do that, we must prepare right now.

Vinh International Airport. Photo: Thanh Cuong.

As for the direct flight from Vinh to China, I think it will be feasible. Firstly, it is a charter flight, organized by a travel agency, so there is no fear of a lack of passengers and it will not affect the state budget.

Next, the two airports that will be surveyed in China include Kunming Airport and Chengdu Airport, which are enjoying subsidy policies from the Chinese government. This is an extremely favorable point to organize cheap tours to attract Chinese tourists to us.

I would also like to provide more information about the two destinations in China that we will be exploring. Yunnan and Sichuan provinces are both located deep in the mainland of East and Southeast China. This market has many similarities with the Northeast Thailand market that is quite familiar to Nghe An.

Normally, when talking about Chinese tourists, people often think of groups of tourists with high spending needs and using luxury services. However, the target audience we are aiming for is more popular. I think that is the segment that is suitable for Nghe An's current tourism infrastructure.

Recently, after we promoted Nghe An tourism in China in May, there were two groups of Chinese tourists of up to 100 people coming to Nghe An to swim in Cua Lo beach and eat seafood. Everything went very smoothly, I think that is a good sign.

PV:So you are completely confident that Nghe An will satisfy Chinese tourists?

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong:We have to face the reality that our tourism infrastructure still has many gaps. The most complete infrastructure at present is accommodation facilities, while entertainment and shopping venues are almost non-existent.

Tourism human resources are also in short supply but it is not the most difficult problem. We have worked with Vietravel - the largest travel agency operating in Nghe An. They agreed to send more tour guides to serve Chinese tourists from other provinces to support during the peak season.

Of course, this is only an initial temporary solution. After that, we will have to consider more fundamental measures such as training local human resources.

We have also thought about the issue of managing tourists and ensuring security and order and have a specific plan. The Department of Tourism and the Provincial Police have signed a coordination program to proactively grasp information and manage tourist groups right from the time they check in at the airport of the host country.

Hanoi has implemented this solution very effectively. I believe there will not be chaos like in Quang Ninh because there Chinese tourists arriving by road are more difficult to control.

One thing that makes me a little worried is the airport infrastructure. Vinh airport is planned to be an international airport, but the current infrastructure still does not really meet the standards for serving international flights. The Vinh - Bangkok route, which opened in 2016, has now stopped operating because the airport's infrastructure and human resources cannot meet the requirements.

We try in other ways to attract foreign visitors to the province, but if the first impression from the airport is not good, it will be difficult to make them come back.

Director of the Department of Tourism: "I am a bit concerned about the infrastructure of Vinh airport." Photo: Thanh Cuong.

PV:To attract international tourists, promotion is a very important step. Compared to provinces in the region such as Thanh Hoa - which has recently appeared in advertisements broadcast on VTV or Quang Binh - which has made a spectacular breakthrough thanks to the great success of the movie Kong: Skull Island, is Nghe An too "quiet", sir?

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong:It is true that Nghe An tourism has not been widely promoted. This is also one of the important tasks that the Department has identified since its establishment. However, the budget allocated for tourism development in Nghe An is very limited compared to other provinces.

In 2016, Thanh Hoa spent 30 billion VND on tourism development. In 2017, Nghe An Department of Tourism was allocated less than 1 billion VND from the budget for tourism development.

PV:So, let's not talk about publications such as films and photo books promoting tourism. Does the Department have any ideas or plans to promote Nghe An tourism through the official website www.ngheantourism.gov.vn or through social networks, sir?

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong:This website was previously operated by the Tourism Promotion Information Center, and the Department has just taken over. This website is not operating effectively, the domain name is difficult to access, the interface is not modern, and the information is not attractive. We have a plan to upgrade and innovate this website to become an effective tourism information portal for the province. As for social networks, we have also seen the strong spread of this information channel and are considering testing options.

PV:Thank you for the interview!

Thuc Anh

(Perform)