Creating a breakthrough development for Cua Lo

(Baonghean) - The Resolution of the 5th Congress of the Party Committee of Cua Lo town, term 2015 - 2020 sets the goal of building Cua Lo coastal tourism city to soon become a type II urban area, creating the premise to build a green, clean, beautiful, rich, civilized, modern coastal tourism city; a bright spot in tourism in the whole country. On the basis of that goal, the Party committees, authorities and the entire political system of Cua Lo are focusing on leadership and direction to realize the set goals.

The effectiveness of a project

In the first year (2016) of implementing the Resolution of the 5th Town Party Congress, term 2015 - 2020, Cua Lo immediately faced difficulties from the marine environmental incident that greatly affected tourism activities. Determining the need to rise higher in the following years, the Party Committee, government and political system from the town to the grassroots level have focused their efforts on leadership, direction, and creating a new turning point in tourism economic development.

Comrade Nguyen Thi Dung - Member of the Standing Committee of the Town Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Cua Lo Town, shared: The Resolution of the 5th Town Party Congress set out that by 2020, Cua Lo will attract 3.2 - 3.5 million tourists (an average increase of 7 - 8%/year); tourism revenue will reach 4,500 - 5,000 billion VND (an average increase of 18 - 20%/year); average income per capita will reach 130 - 140 million VND; the proportion of services and tourism will account for 62 - 63% of the economic structure.

To achieve the above goal, in parallel with continuing to call for and attract investment in building synchronous and modern tourism infrastructure, the town is focusing on leadership and direction in the direction of building Cua Lo tourism with "Discipline - Responsibility"; building Cua Lo as an attractive, safe, friendly, hospitable destination, worthy of being the first coastal tourist city in the country.

Cua Lo town strengthens management of prices, environmental sanitation and food safety for restaurants operating in the tourism industry. Photo: Mai Hoa

To realize the above orientation, right after the Town Party Congress, term 2015 - 2020, Cua Lo Town Party Committee assigned the Town People's Committee to develop and promulgate the Project "Strengthening state management of tourism in Cua Lo Town, period 2016 - 2020". To implement this Project, the Party Committee, government and organizations from the town to the grassroots have launched a series of practical and specific activities.

Regarding Thu Thuy ward (one of the four central tourist wards of the town), according to comrade Nguyen Thanh Tuyen - Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of the ward, the issue that the Party Committee and the local government are concerned about is to focus on managing planning and construction in the area, avoiding encroachment, expansion of construction works, kiosks, tents for service business, ensuring open space and urban beauty of coastal tourism.

Along with that, many training courses on tourism service skills are organized for people to understand and be deeply aware of building a brand in the hearts of tourists through product quality, price, service style, clean environment... In the ward, there are 14 restaurants recognized by the Town People's Committee as meeting the standards of civilized restaurants.

For Nghi Thu ward, the Party Committee and the government focus on maintaining the implementation of the town's "5 no" policy thoroughly. In addition to the ward's tourism security team, the established self-management teams also clearly demonstrate the role of mutual self-monitoring in maintaining environmental hygiene, public price posting, food safety and hygiene...

Comrade Tran The Hoan - Vice Chairman of the Ward People's Committee, said: The decisive role in state management of tourism activities in the ward is the establishments, business households and people participating in tourism. The locality regularly organizes dialogues to directly listen to the opinions of units and individuals, in order to remove difficulties and obstacles, creating consensus to implement the policies proposed by the ward.

Comrade Nguyen Thi Dung - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Cua Lo town said: "The town has been implementing many effective management solutions to ensure a clean and beautiful environment; manage the operation of the tram system; ensure security and order; manage prices, food hygiene and safety... In addition to establishing a town inspection team and an urban security team in the wards to carry out inspection activities, check the compliance with the town's policies and regulations from restaurants, hotels, motels, the town also established and widely publicized hotlines of the town and wards so that tourists can inform and reflect on problems at the tourist area; establish hotlines related to rapid response activities such as medical emergency; rescue; fire fighting; mobile police...".

And the problems that arise

In 2014, Cua Lo town was recognized by the Prime Minister as the first coastal tourist city in the country; Cua Lo beach was also rated by the World Tourism Organization as one of the most ideal beaches in Vietnam. However, there are opinions that Cua Lo has not yet promoted and exploited its inherent advantages and tourism potential to develop tourism in depth, creating a real breakthrough in quality and good competitiveness. Visitors to Cua Lo only stay a few days on weekends, swim in the sea and enjoy culinary dishes with "rustic" processing techniques and service style. Private motels and hotels are family-run, small-scale, with low service quality, lacking high-quality hotels, restaurants, tourist areas and entertainment services...

Cua Lo beach is considered the most ideal beach in the country. Photo by Mai Hoa

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong - Director of the Department of Tourism said: The potential and tourism resources of Cua Lo are bestowed by nature, often called "heaven-sent". To maintain, preserve and develop sustainable tourism, it requires great efforts and contributions from humans. Currently, Cua Lo tourism is lacking large investors with professionalism in tourism activities. Therefore, it is easy to see that the weakness of Cua Lo tourism today is the complete lack of entertainment areas and supermarkets - this is a condition to diversify tourism products, at the same time prolonging the time tourists stay in Cua Lo for entertainment and shopping.

Chairman of Thu Thuy Ward People's Committee - Nguyen Thanh Tuyen said that the biggest current shortcomings and weaknesses of Cua Lo tourism are limited tourism infrastructure, narrow traffic system; crossroads and fishbone roads have not been deployed. Besides, tourism products are still lacking, mainly only stopping at the household scale, not creating tourism products with collective brands.

From the perspective of a tourist, Mr. Hoang Hai Yen (Hanoi) said: In addition to building a green - clean - beautiful environment from the common space to each tourist facility, the town needs to pay attention to building a truly civilized and professional culture of behavior in tourism activities. At the same time, pay attention to connecting tours, resort tourism routes, cultural and spiritual tourism, shopping tourism and forming high-class and luxurious services and resorts to satisfy all the needs of all types of tourists...

Cua Lo town has many measures to manage electric vehicle operations. Photo by Mai Hoa

According to Vice Chairwoman of the Town People's Committee Nguyen Thi Dung, one of the key tasks that the Party Committee and authorities at all levels in Cua Lo are focusing on is promoting the expansion of administrative boundaries, building plans according to the new, beautiful and modern urban architectural thinking. Along with that, promoting investment attraction, ensuring the factors to build Cua Lo into a center of resort tourism and commercial services, finance and banking, education and training, medical examination and treatment; these are the conditions to attract tourists to Cua Lo.

Minh Chi