A boost for tourism in Nghe An

(Baonghean)With the aim of resolving difficulties for businesses in the tourism industry and preparing for a successful 2014 tourism season, on April 11, 2014, in Cua Lo Town, the Provincial People's Committee organized a dialogue conference between provincial leaders and businesses in the tourism and service sector of the province. This dialogue attracted a large number of tourism businesses in the area, with many open and frank opinions expressed, all with the hope that Nghe An tourism would further strengthen its brand.

Mr. Vo An Huy, Deputy Director of Saigon - Kim Lien Joint Stock Company, delivered a speech at the conference.

"Hot" issues in tourism activities

In her opening remarks at the dialogue, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Dinh Thi Le Thanh emphasized: The provincial leadership hopes this forum will be an opportunity for them to listen to the opinions of businesses, and for businesses to openly reflect on the obstacles and difficulties they face in the tourism business. Therefore, the dialogue became lively as businesses shared a common sentiment: they were very pleased and highly supportive of the provincial leadership's recent attention to the business activities of tourism enterprises. The organization of this dialogue also demonstrated the provincial leadership's determination to develop Nghe An's tourism industry.

Mr. Vo An Huy, Deputy Director of Saigon - Kim Lien Joint Stock Company, began with a heartfelt and thoughtful opinion from a business in accommodation and travel: "Let's start with the smallest but most important things, which is building and replanning the system of public restrooms along Cua Lo beach, destinations such as Ho Chi Minh Square, and historical and cultural sites..." Mr. Huy recounted many unforgettable memories from tours his company had led, including many foreign tourists who were very dissatisfied when visiting historical sites. They said that our historical sites are very beautiful, very sacred, and carefully preserved by the people, but it is very inconvenient because there is no public restroom system, or if there is, it is very unsanitary. In particular, according to Mr. Huy, Cua Lo town should be the first locality to build public restrooms along the beach.

Mr. Vo Hong Sang, Director of Thai Son International Travel Joint Stock Company, and Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, representative of Hoang Son International Travel Company, stated that obtaining visas for tourists from Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces to travel to South Korea is extremely difficult, mainly due to rejected applications for various reasons, including the fact that many Nghe An workers have absconded and stayed in South Korea after traveling there. In addition, there is unhealthy competition and price manipulation among travel companies, with many companies operating without proper registration. Many companies are also operating international tours without having registered for international travel business licenses.

Restaurants and eateries in nearby areas such as Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen, and tourist destinations in the Mekong Delta lack adequate facilities and provide unenthusiastic service to tourists. Many times, tour companies have faced difficulties in booking accommodation and meals for tourists who need overnight stays. Some inner-city roads in Vinh City prohibit tourist vehicles with 16 seats or more from circulating, affecting the transportation of guests staying at hotels and restaurants along these routes, as well as hindering visits to tourist attractions in the area such as Nguyen Sy Sach, Le Hong Phong, Ho Tung Mau, and Truong Thi streets.

During the dialogue, representatives from hotels and guesthouses in Cua Lo town reflected on the following issues faced by tourism businesses: difficulties regarding land tax, electricity, water, and urban planning policies; businesses operating for only three months but having to pay taxes for the whole year; construction planning only allows for 70% of the land area to be used to avoid excessive concrete paving, but they still have to pay taxes on 100% of the area at a single rate; electricity prices remain high; and the exploitation and extortion of tourists by motorbike and electric vehicle operators in the town still occurs, causing dissatisfaction among tourists.

Concerned about shortcomings in business and tourism infrastructure, people and entrepreneurs are delighted by the current decisive directives for the tourism industry. Speaking on behalf of the Nghe An Tourism Association, Mr. Hoang Trung Chau said: “In over 20 years of working in tourism, we have never seen the provincial leadership pay such close attention to and provide such specific guidance on the activities of the tourism industry as in recent times. This is also the first time the Provincial People's Committee has organized a dialogue conference to listen to the concerns and aspirations of tourism businesses, with the aim of resolving difficulties for businesses. Therefore, we are very pleased and grateful to the provincial leadership. As an association, what we have long desired and been concerned about is: we need a central tourist information center for the entire province, with interconnected telephone systems between hotels and destinations throughout the province so that travel agencies and tourists can easily and professionally obtain information. Regarding the Vinh - Vientiane route, due to the low number of tourists recently, we request that Vietnam Airlines notify customers at least two days in advance if flights are postponed, rather than suddenly canceling flights, which causes inconvenience to many customers.” jar.

Passion and concern

In response to concerns from tourism businesses, relevant departments and agencies provided frank and direct answers to each issue during the dialogue. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tien, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Cua Lo Town, discussed the construction of public restrooms along the beach: Previously, several public restrooms were built along the town's beach, but their use was inadequate, leading to unsanitary conditions. The town has heard about this issue many times, and therefore, in the summer of 2014, the town proceeded to repair and build six new, standard-compliant restrooms. These restrooms will be managed by the Urban Management Team for the time being. Regarding general security and order, and the management of motorbike and electric vehicle systems in particular, the town will continue to address these issues. Strengthening public awareness campaigns and informing residents and tourists about hotlines for cooperation with the police, while also raising awareness and encouraging active protection of property, combating crime and social vices, and contributing to ensuring security and order in the area.

Representatives from the Department of Transport also explained the issue regarding the ban on stopping and parking for tourist buses within the city: According to regulations on passenger transport, passenger transport routes must have designated stopping and parking points – this is a principle and a legal regulation. However, tourist buses are not prohibited from stopping on any particular street; therefore, we will re-examine all traffic signs, and if any discrepancies are found, we will rectify them immediately or add supplementary signs.

With a passion and concern for tourism, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Dinh Thi Le Thanh affirmed: With diverse and abundant potential, the tourism industry has made great efforts to attract and exploit tourism potential, introducing Nghe An tourism to domestic and international friends. Besides domestic tourism, we have also opened international flight routes to create the most favorable conditions for tourists visiting tourist destinations in Nghe An. However, it must be objectively acknowledged that our tourism development is still unsustainable, the number of international tourists has decreased sharply, tourist spending remains low, and tourism products are monotonous. The development of tourism accommodation facilities is still spontaneous and not according to planning, leading to low efficiency.

The tourism sector in Nghe An has limited competitiveness and low service quality. Most travel agencies focus only on taking tourists from Nghe An province on domestic and international trips, paying little attention to attracting tourists from other regions to visit within the country. To build a destination brand and boost tourism in Nghe An, it is necessary to focus on developing unique tourism products for each locality. Tourism associations need to promptly address difficulties and obstacles for tourism businesses... There should be close cooperation between tourism associations in the province and major provinces such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City... and even countries like Laos and the Northeast regions of Thailand. Regarding the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, it is suggested that the sector should advise on policies that prioritize tourism businesses, regularly honor well-performing and efficient tourism businesses, and provide practical support to tourism businesses. Key destinations like Nam Dan, Vinh, and Cua Lo must maintain stable prices across all sectors, fostering strong linkages and avoiding seasonal price drops.

Provincial leaders consistently work alongside businesses to resolve difficulties and obstacles, striving to find timely support policies for tourism businesses.

Thanh Thủy – Thu Hương