Nghe An needs to set more targets for international tourists

(Baonghean.vn) - This is one of the proposals of Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien at the working session with Nghe An province on the morning of July 7.

Overview of the working session. Photo: Phuoc Anh

Reporting to the delegation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Duong affirmed that in the first 6 months of 2017, although the socio-economic situation in the whole country in general still faced many difficulties, with efforts and attempts, Nghe An province still achieved positive results, including in the fields of culture, sports and tourism.

In early 2017, the province focused on directing and successfully organizing many political events and major holidays of the province and the country, attracting millions of visitors. The coordination between the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Department of Tourism in improving the efficiency of exploitation, promoting the value of relics and heritage, and promoting the development of cultural tourism achieved high efficiency.

Along with that, the fields of mass sports and high-performance sports have seen many improvements; tourism activities have achieved remarkable growth.

At the meeting, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Duong presented a number of proposals and recommendations of the province to the working delegation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Specifically, he requested the Ministry to continue to propose the Government to direct ministries and branches to soon implement the Vientiane - Hanoi expressway project through Thanh Thuy border gate (Nghe An); Allow Nghe An to participate in the Tourism Infrastructure Development Project to support comprehensive growth in the Greater Mekong Subregion - Phase II funded by ADB; Advise the Government to issue a separate Decree on the autonomy mechanism of public service units in the field of Culture, Sports and Tourism...

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Duong reported to the delegation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the results in the field of culture, sports and tourism of Nghe An province in the first 6 months of 2017. Photo: Phuoc Anh

Members of the working delegation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism acknowledged the efforts and results of the province in cultural, sports and tourism activities, and frankly assessed the limitations that need to be overcome.

Mr. Ha Van Sieu - Deputy General Director of the General Department of Tourism said: "We need to frankly acknowledge that the proportion of international visitors is still low, the length of stay of visitors is still short, tourism products are still at a popular level, lacking high-class products to retain visitors for a long time."

Affirming the potential and prospects of Nghe An tourism to develop even more strongly, the Deputy Director General of the General Department of Tourism said that the province still has a lot of work to do, especially attracting investment in infrastructure development. At the same time, it must strive to make its mark in organizing domestic and international events, thereby creating a professional tourism brand.

In the 2017 tourist season, Cua Lo beach is an attractive destination for tourists. Photo: Documentary.

Regarding grassroots cultural institutions, Mr. Nguyen Cong Trung - Deputy Director of the Department of Grassroots Culture said that in Nghe An, many cultural institutions were built a long time ago and are now old, and the facilities are not enough to meet the needs of organizing large events. "For example, the Provincial Cultural Center is located in a beautiful location with a large area, but for many years now, when it is necessary to organize large-scale events, it still has to rent additional halls in other places," said Mr. Nguyen Cong Trung.

The Deputy Director of the Department of Grassroots Culture also said that the concept of a cultural center as a place for education outside of school needs to be reviewed, now the cultural center must also meet the entertainment needs of the people. To do so, there needs to be an open mechanism, taking advantage of favorable conditions in terms of location and available area to attract investment, helping the "golden goose lay golden eggs".

Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh speaks at the meeting. Photo: Phuoc Anh

Speaking at the meeting, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh accepted the opinions of the delegation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and said that Nghe An province will continue to make efforts and create conditions for the culture, sports and tourism sector to promote its existing advantages and potentials. Nghe An will gradually call for investment in infrastructure construction to contribute to sustainable tourism development. Along with that, in the field of sports, the reality of incomplete development, not commensurate with the potential of a province with a large population, will be focused on improving by the province.

At the meeting, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien expressed his joy at the growth that Nghe An province achieved in the first 6 months of 2017, including the field of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In the last 6 months of the year, the Minister emphasized the spirit of overcoming difficulties, seizing opportunities, and striving to achieve even higher achievements.

Minister Nguyen Ngoc Thien is pleased with the results Nghe An province has achieved in recent times. Photo: Phuoc Anh

“Tourism has been identified as a spearhead in economic development. Nghe An province has not set a target for international visitors for a long time, now I suggest that the province should set this target. Increasing the number of tourists in the context of the general situation has many difficulties, but it is difficult but it must be done” - the Minister said.

Regarding the recommendations and proposals of the province, the Minister basically agreed, especially the proposal for the Government to direct ministries and branches to soon implement the Vientiane - Hanoi expressway project through Thanh Thuy border gate. The Minister affirmed that once the expressway is put into operation, it will create many conveniences for traffic and trade, opening up great opportunities to increase the flow of tourists on the East - West economic corridor.

On behalf of the provincial leaders, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh presented a commemorative painting to the delegation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Photo: Phuoc Anh

At the end of the working session, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh presented a commemorative painting to the working delegation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Phuoc Anh