Elevating Cua Lo beach tourism
(Baonghean.vn) - Blessed with abundant tourism development potential, and to maximize these advantages, Cua Lo town has prioritized allocating resources to invest in infrastructure and develop a coastal tourism city. A modern, friendly, and attractive Cua Lo with diverse tourism products has emerged, attracting more and more tourists to visit, relax, and enjoy the beach.
Diversifying tourism products
Cua Lo BeachConsidered one of the most beautiful beaches in the North Central region, Cua Lo has become a symbol of tourism in Nghe An. Besides the more than 10 km long beach with its sparkling white sand under the golden sun and clear blue water, Cua Lo also boasts many attractive destinations: Lan Chau Island, Hon Ngu Island, Van Loc Temple, Hom Market, Nghi Thuy fishing port, etc.
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| Sea daisies are a signature flower of Cua Lo. This year, the town's authorities have officially designated this flower as the tourism symbol of this beautiful coastal town in Central Vietnam. Photo: Duc Anh |
Ms. Nguyen Lan Anh, a tourist from Hanoi, shared: “Cua Lo is one of the ideal beaches. Moreover, it has a modern and well-equipped system of hotels and restaurants, and many fresh and delicious seafood products. Every year, my family and I come to Cua Lo to watch the sunrise and recharge after months of stressful work.”
Upon arriving in Cua Lo, visitors can easily see the appearance of a dynamic and bustling coastal city with modern infrastructure, numerous guesthouses and hotels capable of accommodating over 30,000 guests daily. Many high-end entertainment, recreation, and resort services have been put into operation, such as the Vinpearl Cua Hoi resort paradise and the Cua Hoi eco-tourism area.Lan Chau IslandCua Lo boasts Ngư Island and an 18-hole golf course. In the near future, Cua Lo will have the Cua Hoi amusement park and cable car, with a sea-crossing cable car connecting the mainland to Ngư Island – a unique eco-tourism and spiritual destination in the middle of the ocean. Through the strategic coastal road, highlighted by the Cua Hoi bridge connecting the two banks of the Lam River, Cua Lo also enjoys convenient connectivity to tourist destinations in the North Central provinces and throughout the country.
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| Many tourists choose Cua Lo beach to cool off during the summer. Photo: Quang An |
Mr. Hoang Thanh Son, Head of the Culture and Information Department of the Cua Lo Town People's Committee, said: "We are focusing on developing destinations, connecting them into tours, and building new check-in points as places for tourists to visit and take souvenir photos to enhance the promotion of Cua Lo tourism. In addition, the town is focusing on renewing products and destinations such as: visiting traditional craft villages and fishing ports; developing conference and seminar tourism in the autumn and winter seasons; a night food street, 'Cua Lo Autumn'; street music programs; entertainment; and organizing events at the Vinpearl Tourist Area."Cua Hoi BridgeHot air balloon festival, lantern festival…
Furthermore, travel agencies have connected Cua Lo with nearby tourist destinations such as President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace, Thanh Chuong tea island, Truong Bon Historical Site, Dong Loc Crossroads, Muong Thanh Safari Land Dien Chau Tourist Area, Pu Mat National Park, etc. This expands access to the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourism market, thereby diversifying business types and tourism products, reducing seasonality and the current focus on accommodation.
Focus investment resources on infrastructure.
With early planning focused on tourism development, Cua Lo is highly regarded for its comprehensive infrastructure planning. However, the slow pace of investment, limited resources, and lack of groundbreaking, impactful projects in recent years have caused difficulties for the locality.
Recognizing this, the province and town have implemented numerous solutions to accelerate infrastructure development and attract investment. Identifying tourism and services as key economic sectors, the town has completed and approved functional zoning plans for its wards; issued several projects and plans on support mechanisms in the field and key programs for sustainable development of the service and tourism sectors, and urban civilization; and applied science and technology in the exploitation and processing of seafood and the production of clean agricultural products to serve tourism.
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| The Binh Minh road is currently being planned and will be expanded to the east this year. Photo: Thu Huyen |
In particular, the Provincial People's Council issued Resolution 06 dated August 13, 2021, on the Regulation of some mechanisms,Special policies to support the development of Cua Lo town.The socio-economic development plan for the period 2021-2025 was implemented. Based on this, the Town People's Council issued Resolution No. 18 on the medium-term public investment plan from the State budget, prioritizing investment resources for infrastructure serving tourism and services. Currently, the town has implemented the planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, integrating it with the province's general plan; the functional zoning plan for 7 wards has been approved by the Provincial People's Committee, serving as a basis for infrastructure construction, investment attraction, and planning management... The town is also implementing the planning for the area east of Binh Minh road, submitting a proposal to the Provincial People's Committee for approval to finance the planning of a 76-hectare complex forest park, opening up bright prospects for the coastal town and contributing to upgrading Cua Lo tourism.
To promote and encourage businesses and investors to boost the development of services and tourism, the town has created optimal conditions in terms of mechanisms and policies such as administrative procedures, land compensation and clearance, and tax policies. Therefore, the area has attracted quite a few large projects such as the Muong Thanh Cua Lo Hotel, Summer Hotel, and the Vingroup's hotel, entertainment, and resort villa complex project in Cua Hoi... In addition, the Cua Hoi Entertainment and Recreation Area project has completed land compensation and clearance on the east side of Binh Minh road in Nghi Hai and Nghi Hoa wards, handing over the land to the investor on schedule as committed. This is concrete evidence of the town's commitment to creating mechanisms and policies for investors in the spirit of partnering with businesses.
Alongside attracting businesses, the town creates a healthy investment environment and ensures the best possible security and safety for investors and businesses to develop production and business activities. This is both a requirement and a responsibility for the town's Party committee and government. Every year, the town develops a plan to ensure security and order, guaranteeing absolute safety for events, tour groups, and tourists. Currently, the town directs kiosks, hotels, businesses, entertainment areas, and residential houses along the town's roads and in the wards to install security camera systems; the town police, ward police, neighborhood groups, and self-governing teams patrol and cover the entire area.
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| Cua Lo Beach is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the North Central region, becoming a symbol of tourism in Nghe An province. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
In 2020 and 2021, the pandemic severely impacted the tourism industry; many businesses operated at a reduced capacity, or even ceased operations. However, after reopening for tourism and efforts to improve the quality of destinations, Cua Lo has revived and flourished. The number of visitors in the first six months of the year increased sharply, estimated at 1,260,000, reaching 81.3% of the annual plan, of which 430,000 were overnight stays, reaching 83.3% of the annual plan. Total tourism revenue reached 1,280 billion VND, achieving 84.1% of the annual plan.
Despite some shortcomings, with the local government's willingness to listen and the friendliness and hospitality of its people, we believe that Cua Lo will become one of the ideal destinations for domestic and international tourists.
