Strengthening the tourism brand of Nghe An

(Baonghean) - Comrade Nguyen Manh Cuong - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, answers an interview with Baonghean Newspaper.

Reporter:After four years of implementing the 2011-2015 five-year plan and one year of implementing Resolution 26-NQ/T.Ư, the province's socio-economic development in general, and the tourism sector in particular, has made remarkable progress (3.5 million overnight visitors; tourism service revenue exceeding 2,300 billion VND), achieving 100% of the targets set by the 17th Provincial Party Congress. To achieve these results, what breakthroughs has the tourism sector made, Comrade?

Cua Lo beach viewed from above. Photo: Sy Minh

Comrade Nguyen Manh Cuong:During the past term, thanks to the strong and close leadership and guidance of the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Council, and the Provincial People's Committee, Nghe An's tourism sector has made a strong breakthrough.

First and foremost, the industry has focused on building and maintaining the Nghe An tourism brand, with the central focus being the creation of a civilized, safe, and friendly tourism environment, gradually improving quality to attract tourists. To achieve this task, the industry has coordinated with and advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue a series of documents on tourism environment management, such as regulations on ensuring security, environmental hygiene, and safety for tourists at tourist attractions in the area; managing jet ski services in Cua Lo Town; and documents managing services at historical sites and festivals...; strengthening inspection and enforcement to handle violations. The industry has also directed and guided key tourism localities such as Cua Lo City. Vinh, Cua Lo, and Nam Dan are implementing solutions to ensure security and order, environmental hygiene, food safety, etc., building the "5 No's" model, security teams, self-governing groups, civilized restaurants, etc., and publicly posting hotlines to receive and process feedback from tourists.

Secondly, many infrastructure investment projects serving socio-economic development related to tourism have been invested in, and the tourism industry's facilities continue to develop. A highlight is the official launch of the Vinh - Da Lat flight route in Nghe An in December 2013.

Along with domestic routes, in January 2014, Nghe An officially launched a direct flight route between Vinh and Vientiane with a frequency of 4 flights per week. This was Vietnam Airlines' first new route in 2014 and also the first international route operated from Vinh Airport. To date, Vinh Airport has been upgraded and included in the planning to become an international airport. Along with air transport, the railway overpass on Route 46 Vinh - Nam Dan, National Highway 46B Cua Lo - Nam Dan, the Vinh - Cua Hoi route, Ben Thuy II Bridge, etc., have also been inaugurated, contributing to shortening travel time between tourist destinations in the province and creating conditions for expanding cooperation and linkages with provinces in the country and the region.

During the four years from 2011 to 2014, an additional 207 hotels and guesthouses were put into operation in the province with a total investment of 1,955 billion VND, bringing the total number of accommodation establishments in the province to 665 by the end of the term, including 1 five-star hotel, 5 four-star hotels, 12 three-star hotels, and over 60 one- and two-star hotels.

Thirdly, the development of distinctive products was vigorously pursued in the latter half of the term (2013-2015). Specifically: In November 2013, the three localities of Cua Lo, Nam Dan, and Vinh signed a cooperation agreement to leverage the advantages of the three districts, cities, and towns in the itinerary of visiting attractive tourist destinations in Nghe An province. Particularly, after the Nghe Tinh folk songs were recognized by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, this collaboration became even more significant as, towards the end of the term, all three localities would work together to introduce these folk songs to tourists.

In parallel with intra-provincial linkages, in recent times, our province has strengthened linkages between provinces in the North Central region, including 6 provinces along National Highway 1A stretching from Thanh Hoa to Thua Thien Hue, in order to promote tourism activities.

In addition, the province has promoted and expanded linkages with countries in the region and those sharing borders. Specifically, we have now developed many road tours from Vinh to provinces in Laos and Northeast Thailand, such as Vientiane (the capital) - Udonthani province, Bangkok, etc., with tours like "One day, three countries in one meal," "Three ancient capitals, one destination," "Three countries, one destination," etc.

Fourth, the training of human resources and the enhancement of tourism knowledge for people working in the tourism industry have been given top priority by local authorities. The quality of tourism human resource training at training institutions in the province has seen a new transformation, and cooperative relationships between training institutions and tourism businesses have begun to form with a model of training tailored to specific needs and orders. As a result, the quality of labor in tourism service businesses has improved significantly (in 2013, Nghe An tourism won first prize for the first time in an international tour guide competition), and the percentage of trained workers is increasing, contributing to the goal of sustainable tourism development.

Reporter:Besides the achievements, what limitations does the tourism industry still have that need to be overcome, Comrade?

Comrade Nguyen Manh Cuong:Nghe An's tourism products have not undergone a breakthrough transformation, resulting in inconsistent quality, low competitiveness, and a lack of new, unique, and regionally significant products to attract domestic and international tourists. The progress of planned tourism investment projects is generally slow, protracted, or even non-existent, such as the Cua Nam Lake Tourist Entertainment Area, the Giang Son Hot Spring Tourist Area (Do Luong), and the Hai Thinh Tourist Area. Some newly registered projects have low feasibility due to limited financial capacity of investors and a failure to attract foreign investment in tourism projects. While travel agencies have made efforts, they generally lack professionalism and competitiveness, especially in their ability to reach international and regional inbound markets. Tourism promotion and marketing, while showing positive progress, lacks depth, focus, and is often monotonous in its approach.

Reporter:To achieve the goal of making tourism a truly important economic sector of the province by 2020, with unique products and an attractive destination for domestic and international tourists, what are the directions for the industry in the 2016-2020 period, Comrade?

Folk songs from Nghe An province are being exploited to entertain tourists.

Comrade Nguyen Manh Cuong:In the coming period, we will focus on supplementing and adjusting the overall tourism development plan for Nghe An until 2020, with a vision to 2030, to suit the new situation. This will boost investment in tourism infrastructure development by leveraging support from national programs, foreign sources, and businesses; focusing on completing key tourism products where Nghe An has strengths. We will exploit existing tourist routes and gradually develop new ones, linking cultural and spiritual tourism with traditional festivals; and strengthen tourism promotion and marketing to expand the tourist market. We will build a tourism workforce to meet the immediate and long-term development needs of tourism. We will also promote investment in the development of high-end coastal resorts, eco-tourism areas, entertainment complexes, service facilities for tourists, and transportation infrastructure. Strengthening the effectiveness of state management in tourism in accordance with the spirit of Directive 14/CT-TTg dated July 2, 2015, of the Prime Minister, with a focus on coordinating the management of prices for services serving tourists, ensuring the quality of goods and services; security, order, and safety for tourists... in order to continue implementing the goal of building a civilized, safe, and high-quality tourism environment in Nghe An, contributing to sustainable tourism development.

To achieve that goal, the tourism industry urgently needs the attention and guidance of the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Council, and the Provincial People's Committee, as well as the decisive and united involvement of the entire industry and related units, with the hope that Nghe An tourism will increasingly affirm its brand in the region and on the international tourism map.

Reporter:Thank you, comrade!

Thanh Thuy

(Perform)