Tourists swing from wires in Quang Binh Province. (Source: VNA) Quang Binh (VNA) – The central province of Quang Binh will be elevated into a tourism centre for Southeast Asia by 2020, announced the local authority at a recent conference of managers from tourism enterprises based within the province.
According to Nguyen Huu Hoai, Chairman of the local People’s Committee, Quang Binh now has the potential to achieve that status as it has become a favourite tourist destination for both domestic and international visitors over the past five years, earning its own global tourism trade mark.
Many domestic and international media agencies and film producers have visited the province to seek potential cooperation and investment opportunities. Recently, ABC Studios from the US, NHK Channel from Japan and the Hollywood producers of the upcoming blockbuster Kong: Skull Island have all visited the province.
Quang Binh is home to the world natural heritage site Phong Nha - Ke Bang with its unique system of caves and diversified ecosystem, and also boasts one of the longest and most beautiful beaches in Vietnam, in addition to numerous cultural, historical and spiritual tourist destinations.
Hoai said that with such strengths, the province only needed determination, sensible methods and the unanimous focus among its relevant departments and the local people in order to achieve its tourism aspiration.
According to Hoai, the first and foremost strategy to earn tourists’ enduring trust was by enhancing service quality, ensuring food safety and maintaining public security.
Many tourist enterprises contributed valuable ideas towards boosting the local tourism industry. Common suggestions included improving electricity, traffic and broadcasting infrastructure. Others suggested regular promotions and new forms of tourist activity to encourage visitors in winter.
Chairman Hoai welcomed the input from tourist enterprises, and confirmed that he would address all of their questions to best serve the target of boosting local tourism. He added that all relevant departments will be required to strictly handle any problems that tourists report, such as overcharging or soliciting.
To improve infrastructure, the province will continue to issue policies that encourage and stimulate tourism enterprises to invest and develop in the province. Meanwhile, local electrical networks, traffic systems and broadcast stations will receive timely investment to be upgraded by this May.
Quang Binh is also planning to expand its airport to connect with more air routes to serve domestic travel. Besides the currently available routes between Quang Binh and the major cities of Hanoi and HCM City, the province will also open a route with Taipei.
The local tourist industry has developed greatly over the past five years. In 2015, the province welcomed nearly three million visitors, 65,000 of whom were international. The turnover in the tourist industry that year was over 3.3 trillion VND (150 million USD).
The province has recently received much investment from both domestic and international investors like FLC Group, Vingroup and the Truong Thinh Group to construct new golf courses, luxury resorts and sports centres.-VNA
