The Director of the Department of Tourism expresses concerns about Vinh Airport.

(Baonghean) - While quite optimistic about opening direct flights to China, the Director of the Nghe An Department of Tourism, Nguyen Manh Cuong, still expressed concern about whether the infrastructure of Vinh airport could meet the demand.

"Don't let international air routes 'die prematurely'."

Following the article'Don't let international air travel die prematurely'Published in the Nghe An newspaper on June 7, 2017, our reporter had an interview with Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong - Director of the Nghe An Department of Tourism - about the new flight route and related issues.

PV:Sir, the news that Nghe An will have a direct flight from Vinh to China has caused concern among many people because this market is so new to Nghe An tourism. There are fears that this route will follow the same path as the two previous international routes (to Vientiane and Bangkok). What are your thoughts on this issue?

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong:If we're talking about something new, it's not just China, but almost every international market is new to tourism in Nghe An. Up until now, the number of international tourists to Nghe An has been very limited, never exceeding 100,000. According to Nghe An's tourism development strategy from now until 2030, with a vision to 2050, the domestic tourism market will become saturated. Sooner or later, we will have to look to the international market, and to do that, we must prepare now.

Vinh International Airport. Photo: Thanh Cuong.

Regarding direct flights from Vinh to China, I think it's feasible. Firstly, these flights would be charter flights, organized by travel agencies, so there's no fear of a lack of passengers and it wouldn't affect the state budget.

Furthermore, the two airports to be surveyed in China, Kunming Airport and Chengdu Airport, are currently receiving subsidies from the Chinese government. This is an extremely favorable point for organizing low-cost tours to attract Chinese tourists to our country.

I would also like to provide some additional information about two destinations in China that we will be surveying. Both Yunnan and Sichuan provinces are located deep within mainland East and Southeast China. This market shares many similarities with the Northeast Thai market, which is quite familiar to Nghe An province.

Typically, when people think of Chinese tourists, they imagine groups with high spending power and who use luxury services. However, the target audience we are aiming for is in a more budget-friendly segment. I think that segment is well-suited to Nghe An's current tourism infrastructure.

Recently, after we promoted tourism in Nghe An in China in May, two groups of Chinese tourists, totaling up to 100 people, came to Nghe An to swim at Cua Lo beach and enjoy seafood. Everything went very smoothly, and I think that's a good sign.

PV:So, is he completely confident that Nghe An will satisfy Chinese tourists?

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong:We must realistically acknowledge that our tourism infrastructure still has many gaps. The most complete infrastructure currently is accommodation facilities, while entertainment and shopping areas are almost non-existent.

While there is a shortage of tourism personnel, it's not the most challenging issue. We've worked with Vietravel, the largest travel agency operating in Nghe An. They agreed to send additional tour guides from other provinces to assist with serving Chinese tourists during the peak season.

Of course, this is only a temporary, initial solution; afterwards, we will have to consider more fundamental measures such as on-the-job training for the workforce.

We have also considered the issue of managing tourists and ensuring security and order, and have specific plans in place. The Department of Tourism and the Provincial Police have signed a cooperation program to proactively gather information and manage tourist groups from the moment they check in at the airport in the foreign country.

Hanoi has implemented this solution very effectively. I believe there won't be the same chaos as in Quang Ninh, where it's harder to control Chinese tourists arriving by land.

One thing that concerns me a little is the airport infrastructure. Vinh Airport is planned to be an international airport, but the current infrastructure does not yet meet the standards for serving international flights. The Vinh - Bangkok route, which opened in 2016, has now ceased operation because the airport's infrastructure and personnel are inadequate.

We strive in other areas to attract foreign visitors to the province, but if the first impression from the airport is not good, it will be difficult to get them to return.

Director of the Department of Tourism: "I have some concerns about the infrastructure of Vinh airport." Photo: Thanh Cuong.

PV:To attract international tourists, promotion is a crucial step. Compared to other provinces in the region such as Thanh Hoa - which has recently appeared repeatedly in advertisements broadcast on VTV - or Quang Binh - which achieved spectacular success by capitalizing on the movie Kong: Skull Island, isn't Nghe An being too "quiet" in terms of tourism, sir?

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong:It's true that tourism in Nghe An hasn't been extensively promoted. This is also one of the important tasks the Department identified right from its establishment. However, the budget allocated for tourism development in Nghe An is very limited compared to other provinces.

In 2016, Thanh Hoa province spent 30 billion VND on tourism development. In 2017, the Nghe An Department of Tourism was allocated less than 1 billion VND for tourism development.

PV:Leaving aside publications like films and photo books promoting tourism, does the Department have any ideas or plans to promote Nghe An tourism through the official website www.ngheantourism.gov.vn or through social media, sir?

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong:This website was previously run by the Tourism Promotion Information Center, and the Department has recently taken it over. The site is not operating effectively; the domain name is difficult to access, the interface is not modern, and the information is not engaging. We have plans to upgrade and modernize this website to become an effective tourism information portal for the province. Regarding social media, we have also recognized its strong reach and are considering various options for testing it.

PV:Thank you for the interview!

Thuc Anh

(Perform)