Linking and promoting distinctive tourism products.

(Baonghean) - From 2013 to 2015, Nghe An province organized many tourism promotion and advertising activities outside the province and abroad. These activities contributed to bringing the image, potential, and advantages of Nghe An's tourism to friends all over the world.

Strengthen promotion and advertising.

In 2014, we had the opportunity to accompany a delegation from Nghe An province to promote tourism in several provinces in the South Central and Central Highlands regions. From Vinh city, it only takes about 45 minutes by plane to meet friends in Da Nang city with its Dragon Bridge and Swing Bridge, or in just 1 hour and 30 minutes to see the wind-swept pine hills of Lam Dong plateau. In tourism, air connectivity always proves its strength in shortening distances and travel times, creating many conveniences for beneficiaries. It can be said that the establishment of the Vinh – Da Lat and Vinh – Da Nang air routes, and vice versa, has contributed to the completion of the technical infrastructure for the tourism and service industry.

Within the framework of the conference, representatives from the provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ninh Binh jointly signed a memorandum of cooperation for joint investment and tourism development.

During the days when Nghe An province coordinated tourism promotion activities in Lam Dong and Da Nang, many tourism professionals in those localities were amazed to learn more about the potential of Nghe An in developing tourism, enriching the destinations on the Central Vietnam Heritage Route. Until now, when people in many provinces thought of Nghe An, they only pictured it as a harsh land with difficult living conditions. Now, with the image, people, and products of Nghe An being introduced and promoted, they have a clearer picture of Nghe An, and know about the province's fascinating and attractive destinations located in the central North Central region. At these meetings, many travel agencies from Nghe An and Da Lat immediately connected, planned, and developed tour routes.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong province, said: "The proactive approach of Nghe An province in connecting tourism with Lam Dong shows the determination of the provincial leaders in opening up the right direction for the tourism industry, while also learning from the experiences of provinces where tourism is a key economic sector."

Create an attractive destination.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Nghe An province, said: "In recent times, the province has intensified its efforts to promote its tourism potential through various information channels, while also establishing links with attractive destinations by road, rail, and air, such as Da Nang, Lam Dong, Buon Ma Thuot, and most recently, Nha Trang. Thanks to these activities, the number of tourists visiting Nghe An is steadily increasing."

The UD Tower entertainment center offers tourists musical performances on weekends.

This winter, tourism in Nghe An has truly flourished, with the number of visitors increasing two to three times compared to the same period last year, thanks to the sunflower field effect. The sunflower field has become a highlight, giving rise to popular winter tours in Nghe An, known to tourists both within the province and nationwide, such as Hanoi - Trai Bo - sunflower field (Nghia Dan) - Lang Sen - Hoang Muoi Temple... or Saigon - Vinh - sunflower field - Lang Sen - Hoang Muoi Temple; Da Lat - Vinh - sunflower field - Lang Sen - Hoang Muoi Temple...

The sunflower fields in Nghia Dan, Nghe An, one of the new and attractive destinations, will be more widely promoted as Nghe An collaborates with other localities across the country in investment and tourism development.

In early December, many travel companies directly surveyed destinations in Nghe An. Notably, TSTRAVEL International Travel Center organized a survey of tourism routes within the province for 20 domestic travel companies. Mr. Nguyen Huu Bac, Director of TSTRAVEL, stated: "We organized the survey program: MEKONG CHRONICLE 2015 for 20 domestic and outbound travel businesses, traveling from Hanoi, Nghe An, Vientiane, Udon Thani (Thailand); Luang Prabang; upstream on the Mekong River, through the Golden Triangle buffer zone, to Tay Trang, and downstream to Dien Bien from December 1st to 7th, 2015. This is a group of travel businesses from across the country that regularly bring in a large number of tourists, contributing to the province's tourism industry."

To gain a better understanding of tourism services in Nghe An, as well as to explore, survey, and evaluate tourism resources in the region, in early December, the delegation surveyed the sunflower fields in Nghia Dan and the hotel and restaurant services in Nghia Dan, Dien Chau, and Vinh City.

Survey team inspects tourist route at Ve Vung Dam (Yen Thanh).

Mr. Ngo Van Long – Deputy Director of Vietmoon Travel Hanoi expressed: "This is our first time participating in a survey tour of Nghe An province, and we were truly surprised to witness the endless beauty of the sunflower fields on the red basalt soil of Phu Quy. This destination will definitely be included in Vietmoon Travel Hanoi's attractive tour packages in the future." Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen – from Vietsense Travel, added: "The sunflower fields have truly opened up a new and attractive feature for tourism in the western part of Nghe An province."

Students from Nghe An Tourism and Trade Vocational College practice food preparation.

Thanks to effective tourism promotion and linkages creating highlights, by the end of November 2015, the number of overnight visitors in Nghe An was estimated at 3,365,312, equivalent to 105% compared to the same period in 2014, of which international visitors were estimated at 54,109, equivalent to 102% compared to the same period in 2014. Tourism revenue was estimated at 2,418 billion VND, equivalent to 111% compared to the same period in 2014, of which international revenue was estimated at 10,783 million USD, equivalent to 103% compared to 2014. It is projected that by the end of 2015, the total number of overnight visitors in the province will reach 3.6 million, tourism service revenue will reach 2,500 billion VND, and total tourism revenue will reach 4,000 billion VND. The target for 2016 is a total of 5,300,000 tourists, including 3,800,000 overnight visitors and 80,000 international visitors. Tourism service revenue is projected to reach 2,900 billion VND.

Thanh Thủy – Đào Tuấn